Bhubaneswar: Aspirants were left fuming as the Special Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (SOTET) 2025 in Odisha was postponed hours before the exam on Sunday.
The Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, issued a notification informing the decision to defer the exam late last night. “The Special OTET 2025 (Paper-I, Paper-II), which has been scheduled to be held on 20.07.2025, is hereby postponed until further notification,” the official statement read.
Candidates have been advised to regularly visit the official website of the board for updates regarding the rescheduled dates.
Though the BSE has not cited any specific reason for the postponement, candidates suspect a paper leak for the last-minute decision. Handwritten question papers for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 had surfaced on social media hours before the exam, sources said.
The OTET is a vital exam for candidates aspiring to become primary or upper primary teachers in the state. Paper I is for primary teachers (Classes I-V) and Paper II for upper primary teachers (Classes VI-VIII).
A total of 75,403 candidates had registered to take the exam, which was to be held at 193 centres across the state. “We rushed to the centres for the exam scheduled for 9 am only to be greeted by a notice on a closed door. It was difficult to verify the notification doing the rounds on social media. The Board could have intimated us through mail about the postponement and saved us the trouble,” an aspirant told the media.
The candidates have called the last-minute cancellation not just abrupt but deeply unfair. They demanded that the board either confirm the reason or address the integrity of the exam process.
BJD leader Santrupt Misra criticised the government over the exam postponement. “OTET postponement is yet another Governance flop show in Odisha. Performance is the only evidence of Governance- not slogans, schemes, signages, sabha and international sightseeing!” he posted on X.