Over 2.52 lakh candidates will appear in Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test (HTET) to be held on Saturday and Sunday at 856 examination centres set up across the state.

Reviewing arrangements of HTET with deputy commissioners and superintendents of police and officers of Board of School education Haryana, the Chief Secretary, Sanjeev Kaushal said in total, 2,52,028 candidates will appear in HTET on 2 December and 3 December.

He said for the convenience of blind and disabled for the convenience of blind and disabled candidates, additional 50 minutes at the rate of 20 minutes per hour will be given to them during the examination.

The Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet of such candidates will also be sent in a separate envelope by the Centre superintendent. Separate sitting arrangements should be ensured for such examinees, Kaushal directed.

Kaushal apprised that on 2 December (Saturday) Level-3 (PGT) examination will be conducted in the evening session from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., in which 76339 candidates will appear in 260 examination centres set up in the state.

On 3 December (Sunday), 121574 candidates will appear in Level-2 (TGT) examination to be conducted in the morning session from 10 a.m. to 12.30 pm in 408 examination centres, while 54115 candidates will appear in Level-1 (PRT) examination to be conducted in the evening session from 3 p.m. to 5.30 pm in 188 examination centres.

Ensuring fair and cheating free conduct of HTET, the chief secretary directed the deputy commissioners to impose Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) around all centres in the respective districts to prevent gathering so as to curb cheating in HTET.

Kaushal directed the concerned officers to ensure entry of candidates two hours 10 minutes before the commencement of the examination so that they can freely go through the metal detector frisking, biometric attendance and other mandatory formalities at the examination centre well in time. Entry to the examination centre will be closed one hour before the commencement of the examination, he added.

The chief secretary said the inspection arrangements of examination centres have been chalked out. Around 172 flying squads have been appointed to strictly check cheating and other irregularities. Apart from this, full-time observers have also been appointed at each examination centre across the state including an officer of the district administration and an officer of the education board as representatives