Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Primary Teacher Recruitment Row: Merit Toppers Challenge DPI Cut-off
In Bhopal, a big exam called the Primary Teacher Recruitment Examination was held to hire 13,089 teachers.
Many people who passed the exam were very happy.
But some of them were told they could not get the job.
The rule in the application said candidates needed to finish their teaching course by the time their documents were checked.
However, the department later said candidates needed to finish their course by a special date, August 25, 2025.
A woman named Varsha Mujalda topped the whole state in this exam.
But even she was told she could not get the job because she finished her D.El.Ed course a little late.
She and other candidates protested at the DPI office.
The department said it followed the rule book, which required qualifications to be completed before applying online.
The candidates say older recruitments in 2011, 2018 and 2020 allowed people to finish their courses later.
The Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) declared thousands of meritorious Primary Teacher Recruitment Examination (Class III) candidates ineligible over an educational qualification cut-off dispute.
The recruitment for 13,089 posts was conducted through the Employees Selection Board (ESB).
After the final result, DPI set August 25, 2025 as the cut-off date for completing D.El.Ed qualifications, although Point 49 of the application required qualifications by the date of document verification.
State merit list topper Varsha Mujalda was declared ineligible for completing her second-year D.El.Ed after the cut-off date.
Citing Clause 12.7 of the Rule Book, DPI denied changing the rules and said qualifications had to be possessed by the last date of submitting the online application.
- Who
- The Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI), the Employees Selection Board (ESB), affected candidates including state topper Varsha Mujalda, and Commissioner of Public Instructions Abhishek Singh.
- What
- Meritorious candidates who cleared the Primary Teacher Recruitment Examination (Class III) are challenging DPI's eligibility cut-off, which declared them ineligible for completing their D.El.Ed after August 25, 2025.
- When
- After the final result was announced; DPI set August 25, 2025 as the qualification cut-off date, and the clarification letter was issued on a Friday.
- Where
- Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Candidates say DPI deviated from Point 49 of its own application, which required qualifications by document verification, while DPI says Clause 12.7 of the Rule Book required qualifications by the online application deadline.
Protesting Candidates
Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI)
Eligibility cut-off for D.El.Ed qualification
Protesting Candidates
Point 49 of the application said candidates had to acquire the prescribed educational qualification by the date of document verification, so those who did so should be considered eligible. Similar recruitments in 2011, 2018 and 2020 allowed qualifications to be completed by the document verification date.
Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI)
Clause 12.7 of the Rule Book requires candidates to possess the prescribed educational/professional qualification by the last date of submitting the online application, and any qualification acquired after the application deadline is not valid. The department denied allegations that recruitment rules were changed after the advertisement was issued.
- Recruitment
- Primary Teacher Recruitment Examination (Class III)
- Total posts
- 13,089
- Recruiting agency
- Employees Selection Board (ESB)
- Qualification cut-off date
- August 25, 2025
- Qualification in question
- D.El.Ed (second year)
- Affected state topper
- Varsha Mujalda
- Rule cited by DPI
- Clause 12.7 of the Rule Book
- Clarification issued by
- Commissioner of Public Instructions Abhishek Singh