After years of delays, court battles, and massive protests from job seekers, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) is finally conducting a crucial teacher recruitment exam this Sunday, September 7th. This marks the first State Level Selection Test (SLST) in nearly a decade.
The exam is a major recruitment drive to fill a whopping 35,726 teaching positions in state-run schools. These vacancies are split between 23,212 posts for Classes 9 and 10 and another 12,514 for Classes 11 and 12. The competition is intense, with over 5.65 lakh applicants registered for the two-phase exam. The second phase will be held on September 14th.
This Sunday alone, more than 3.19 lakh candidates are expected to appear at over 636 exam centers across the state.
Key Exam Day Instructions for Candidates:
Candidates must report to their designated center by 10:00 AM sharp. The gates will close at 11:45 AM, and the exam will begin at 12:00 noon. To ensure a smooth and fair process, the question papers will be delivered to centers between 10:00 AM and 10:30 AM and distributed to candidates just before the exam starts at 11:45 AM.
Tight Security and Strict Rules:
In light of a previous teacher recruitment scam that rocked West Bengal, authorities are leaving nothing to chance. Security will be extremely tight. All candidates will be frisked with metal detectors. Separate enclosures have been set up for female candidates, who will be checked by women staff only.
The list of banned items includes mobile phones, smartwatches, calculators, and any opaque items. Only transparent pens, folders, and water bottles are permitted inside the exam hall. In a significant move, even venue supervisors and WBSSC officials will not be allowed to carry their mobile phones near the exam hall.
Why This Exam is So Significant:
This fresh SLST exam is being held on the orders of the Supreme Court. The court had to cancel the appointment of approximately 26,000 teachers and staff from the last recruitment drive in 6 due to a massive corruption scandal. The scam involved high-profile arrests, including former state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, for allegedly taking money to manipulate appointments and OMR sheets.
The Supreme Court has also barred those "tainted candidates" who benefitted from the previous scam from appearing in this new exam. The WBSSC recently published a list of 1,806 such individuals.
To help candidates reach their centers on time, the Kolkata Metro has announced it will run its usual services on both the Blue and Green lines on Sunday.
