- A controversy arose over the BEd and MEd entrance exam answer key by Soban Singh Jeena University
- The exam held on August 16 had 5,352 candidates and included 200 questions
- The national bird question was correctly marked as peacock in Set A but incorrectly as crow in others
A controversy has erupted over the answer key for the BEd and MEd (Bachelors and Masters of Education) entrance examination conducted by Uttarakhand's Soban Singh Jeena University in Almora. The university held the combined entrance exam on August 16, with 5,352 candidates appearing for the test.
The question paper had 200 questions. One of them asked: "What is India's national bird?"
After the examination, the university uploaded the answer key on its official portal. Candidates noticed that while the answer was correctly marked as peacock for Set A, it was incorrectly listed as crow for Sets B, C and D.
The error quickly drew criticism from candidates who raised questions over the university's examination process.
Speaking to NDTV, University Registrar Dr Devendra Singh Bisht said the incorrect answer was the result of a "technical error".
He said the answer was correctly entered as peacock in Set A, but due to a computer-related problem, the answer for the same question was wrongly uploaded for Sets B, C and D.
The university has since corrected the answer key on its portal.
Dr Bisht also said the university had not received any formal complaints from candidates so far. He urged students who appeared for the examination to check the revised answer key on the university portal.