West Bengal Teacher Recruitment Exam: Second Round SLST Starts Today for Classes 11 and 12
Kolkata is buzzing with activity as the second round of the State Level Selection Test (SLST) kicks off today, Sunday. Organized by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), this exam targets teacher jobs for Classes 11 and 12, or Higher Secondary levels.
The test begins at noon and wraps up by 1:30 p.m. Candidates with disabilities get an extra 30 minutes to finish. With 12,514 teaching vacancies up for grabs, around 2.46 lakh hopefuls will sit for the exam across 478 centers in the state.
WBSSC urges everyone to arrive at their exam center by 10 a.m. sharp. You’ll pick up your question paper and answer sheet at 11:45 a.m., and remember—no phones or electronic gadgets allowed inside.
The first round of SLST went off without a hitch on September 7, with over 3.19 lakh candidates taking part. Now, the spotlight is on this second phase for a smooth run.
State Education Minister Bratya Basu shared some reassuring words: "We’ve followed the Chief Minister’s instructions and updated WBSSC. I promise all students that we’ve put top-level measures in place to ensure no glitches. Stay calm, take the exam with a clear mind, and trust that everything is set for a peaceful day."
This SLST drive aims to fill a whopping 35,726 teaching posts across Classes 9-10 and 11-12. That breaks down to 23,212 spots for Classes 9 and 10, plus the 12,514 for higher classes. In total, more than 5.65 lakh people applied for these two rounds of West Bengal teacher recruitment.
These fresh exams come after a major teacher recruitment scam that shook West Bengal politics in recent years. Central agencies arrested key figures like former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, Trinamool MLA Jiban Krishna Saha, and several education department officials. They allegedly took bribes and tampered with OMR sheets to help candidates land jobs.
This mess stemmed from the 2016 SLST, the last time WBSSC ran such a recruitment for Classes 9-12. On April 3, the Supreme Court canceled appointments of about 26,000 teachers and staff from that flawed process. The court ordered new exams and banned tainted candidates from reapplying.
Following that, on August 30, WBSSC released a list of 1,806 candidates who got jobs through the scam, as per the Supreme Court’s directive. Today’s exam marks a clean slate for fair West Bengal teacher recruitment.
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