Kolkata, Sep 7 (PTI) Around 3.19 lakh candidates took West Bengal SSC's School Level Selection Test (SLST), which was held at 636 centres across the state on Sunday amid tight security.
This was the first
teacher recruitment exam conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) since the Supreme Court scrapped over 26,000 jobs in government-run schools in April, stating that the recruitment process held in 2016 was "tainted and vitiated".
The exam began at noon and ended at 1.30 pm, while an additional 20 minutes was offered for specially abled candidates.
Before the commencement of the exams for the recruitment of assistant teachers in classes 9 and 10, candidates underwent thorough checking at the gates of centres. Several candidates from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh also appeared for the exams.
A three-tier security system was in place at examination centres, including naka checking 100 metres from the venue, and multiple checks at the gates and on the premises.
Considering the security measures, every candidate was asked to turn up at the centres from 10 am onwards, two hours before the start of the exam. Barcode scanners were used to check admit cards at entrances, and only pens -- also made available at centres -- were permitted inside.
No electronic devices or mobile phones were allowed, and even venue supervisors and SSC officials were barred from carrying mobile phones into exam halls. The WBSSC embedded unique identification security features on each question paper to monitor candidates resorting to unfair means.
For the first time, candidates were allowed to carry home their question papers and carbon copies of their OMR sheets, which officials said was a transparency measure to prevent malpractice.
Many first-time examinees said the questions were simple, while others felt that their performance could have been better had they taken better preparation.
A job-losing teacher who was recruited in the 2016 panel, scrapped by the apex court, sat for the exams and said there was a need to "update themselves".
Another 55-year-old woman, who also lost her job following the SC verdict, broke down before entering an exam centre, saying, "Do you think after seven years of being a teacher, preparation like a young student is possible? I have no preparation, as I am mentally not able to absorb this pain."
Several other candidates, who lost their jobs, said they were "mentally and emotionally drained" to sit for exams with fresh candidates after seven years of teaching.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh attacked the BJP, stating that candidates from states with "double-engine governments", such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, travelled to West Bengal to take the exam, as recruitment processes in their home states were either stalled or unreliable.
Taking to X, Ghosh wrote in Bengali that job-seekers from "Yogi Rajya" and other states were taking West Bengal's SSC exams as they faced repeated postponements and lack of opportunities in their own states.
He said that West Bengal has never barred non-residents from writing state recruitment tests.
"No one has said Bengal's exams are only for Bengalis. No one harassed or insulted them. No one stopped them," he said.
BJP leader Sajal Ghosh said a few candidates from other states might have taken the exam as they are also citizens of the country, while adding that candidates from West Bengal also appear for exams in other states.
CPI(M) leader Shatarup Ghosh remarked that the TMC government would now get a chance to get "cut money" from candidates of other states as well.
The exam was conducted after around 26,000 school teachers and non-teaching staffers lost their jobs as per the direction of the Supreme Court, which stated that their recruitment process held in 2016 was "tainted and vitiated".
Another 2.46 lakh candidates will sit for the recruitment test of assistant teachers of classes 11 and 12 at 478 centres on September 14, WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said.
The apex court had directed the WBSSC to ensure that teachers who were identified as having got their jobs through unscrupulous means are not allowed to appear in this recruitment process. Subsequently, the names of 1,806 such 'tainted' teachers were announced by the WBSSC.
In a message to the candidates, state Education Minister Bratya Basu said, "The entire administration is always with you to ensure security, transparency and all possible facilities at 636 venues so that you deliver your best. Reach your centre on time. Best wishes to all."
Kolkata Metro Railways ran services in the Blue line (Dakshineshwar-Sahid Khudiram) and Green Line (Howrah Maidan-Salt Lake Sector V) from 9 am to facilitate the journey of candidates to the exam centres. PTI BSM ACD
