The Tamil Nadu Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) released results on June 25, 2026, for an exam to fill 2,708 assistant professor posts in government colleges. The results have triggered controversy as many candidates who scored high marks in the objective-type elective paper received zero or single-digit marks in the descriptive essay paper.
Exam Structure and Results
Held on December 27, 2025, the exam comprised an eligibility paper, an elective paper (objective type, 150 marks), and an essay paper (50 marks). A total of 42,064 candidates appeared. TRB sources confirmed the results were uploaded as awarded by examiners. However, critics point to a stark inconsistency: candidates scoring high in the elective, for which answer keys were released, often scored zero or very low in the essay.
Political and Academic Reactions
Opposition parties DMK, AIADMK, and PMK have demanded a probe. A former Anna University professor, speaking anonymously to PTI, said, "The results show that the persons who deserve to get good marks in the first paper, got nil marks in the second, cannot be acceptable." He urged the government to cancel the results and order an independent investigation.
P B Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary of the State Platform for Common School System-Tamil Nadu, expressed concern: "TRB has a robust mechanism to conduct a fool-proof examination. Despite such strong structure, the repeated controversy in various exams is cause for worry." He added that the TRB has not provided a convincing explanation and called for senior officials to take responsibility.
Government Response and Association Demands
A senior Higher Education Department official, requesting anonymity, said the government is "seriously looking into the issue" and will issue a formal communication soon. He claimed the TRB only uploaded the marks given by examiners.
V Thangaraj, state president of the Tamil Nadu All Government College UGC Qualified Guest Lecturers Association, reported that a delegation met the TRB chairman on Monday to submit a memorandum. He noted that officials dismissed strange symbols on score sheets as a server glitch meant for internal verification. The association has called for a fresh exam notification with no room for irregularities.
Broader Context and Demands
The exam was conducted per an interim court order to fill 2,708 of over 8,000 vacancies in 188 government colleges. Critics, including academicians and guest lecturer associations, advocate canceling the exam and filling posts based on seniority and academic credits of existing guest lecturers and temporary teachers. The TRB has yet to release a detailed statement addressing the discrepancies.
