The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) successfully concluded the School Level Selection Test (SLST) on Sunday, with 93.09 percent of the 2.46 lakh candidates appearing for the recruitment of assistant teachers for classes 11 and 12 in government-aided schools.
Last Sunday (September 7), 91.62 per cent of the 3.19 lakh candidates took the exam for the recruitment of assistant teachers for classes 9 and 10.
The exams were held after nine years following the Supreme Court’s decision to cancel the recruitment of around 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff by the WBSSC in 2016, calling the process “tainted and vitiated.”
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Education Minister Bratya Basu thanked the WBSSC for ensuring transparency in conducting the exams and said: “Merit has been the priority. For the first time, candidates can take the carbon copy of their OMR sheets home. Very soon, the model answer sheet will be uploaded to the SSC website for candidates to review. Evaluation of papers and the interviews of qualified candidates will follow as per the schedule.”
The minister said that after the results are announced, the candidates will get five days to challenge the marking. “After which the names of candidates who have been selected for the personality test and interview will be uploaded along with the number obtained… “The exams, I believe, will instill the faith of the candidates in us,” he added.
Hitting out at Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Basu said all the allegations of paper leak made by the Opposition were false.
“The Opposition parties have the right to file cases. But they need to understand that those who appeared for the exams are our children… Without any proof, they made allegations of a paper leak. I urge the members of the Opposition to consider the hopes, aspirations, and dreams of the candidates and the situation many of them are experiencing. We have initiated a process which is fair, transparent, and takes care of the interests of deserving candidates,” Basu said.
‘There are vacancies in UP, but the recruitment process is long’
According to the minister, 13,517 candidates who took the paper on Sunday were from outside Bengal, again, mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
“I don’t want to make political comments, but these figures show how much the double-engine governments in the BJP-ruled states have failed in tackling unemployment and creating job opportunities for the educated youth there… I think there is no job or employment in other states. So, they are coming here. Bengal has always accepted all. We have never discriminated against anyone,” he added.
On September 7, 31,362 candidates from other states had appeared for the recruitment examination.
When The Indian Express spoke to some of the candidates from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, they echoed Basu’s observations.
Sunil Kumar Yadav from Jaunpur said, “There is a dearth of jobs in Uttar Pradesh. So, I’m applying in other states like Bihar and Rajasthan.”
Prabha Yadav from Ara, Bihar, told The Indian Express, “This is the first time I applied outside my state as there is a large opening here.”
Ramesh Jha from Kanpur, UP, said, “In UP, there are vacancies, but the recruitment process is long. So, I applied here. Why miss the opportunity?”
Rajiv Kumar Yadav, who reached Kolkata from his UP hometown on Purvanchal Express, said, “In UP, dates are announced, but exams are not held.”
Yogita Sharma from Ballia, UP, who also took the paper, however, said: “Jobs are there in UP, but we are allowed to appear for the examination all over the country. So, I applied here. This time in Bengal, the number of vacancies is huge. Therefore, I applied.”
‘Hope hiring process is fair, transparent’
Earlier in the day, the exam began at 10 am across 478 centres across the state.
Anindita Haldar, a candidate, said, “I was a student when I took the SSC exam and qualified. I ranked 76th. I don’t know what rank I will get now. What happened was shameful, and we are paying the price.”
Rohan Gayen, who appeared for the exam for the first time, told The Indian Express, “We have to be positive. Do we have any other option?”
Piyali Mondol, another candidate, said, “We would like more such exams to be held. They are insisting on transparent pens, files, and water bottles. Hopefully, they will ensure transparency in the exam as well.”
Hiring after 9 years on SC directives
On May 30, the WBSSC issued a notification for the recruitment of 35,726 teachers of classes 9-10 and 11-12 at state-aided schools, abiding by the Supreme Court directive.
The exam dates—September 7 for classes 9-10 and September 14 for classes 11-12—were announced in July.
Following a Supreme Court order, the WBSSC on August 30 released the names and roll numbers of the 1,806 candidates who had been found to have engaged in malpractices in the previous exam.
In April, the Supreme Court terminated 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff at government-aided schools. Later, after the education board appealed against the decision, the top court allowed the “untainted” recruits to receive salaries till December. The remaining 1,804 teachers have been barred from returning to schools.
The Calcutta High Court dismissed an appeal filed by the WBSSC and the Government to allow the tainted teachers to participate in the fresh recruitment process.