West Bengal Teacher Recruitment Exam Wraps Up Smoothly Amid Scam Backdrop
The first round of the State Level Selection Test (SLST) for teacher jobs in West Bengal went off without any major issues on Sunday. The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) organized this exam after a long gap of nine years, thanks to court battles and protests from job seekers. Candidates handed in their answer sheets by 1:30 p.m., while those with disabilities got an extra half hour until 2 p.m. To keep things secure, everyone stayed at the exam centers until after 2 p.m.
As soon as the clock struck 2 p.m., candidates started streaming out of the 636 centers across the state. Many clutched carbon copies of their question papers and OMR sheets – a smart new step in this fresh recruitment drive. These copies aim to stop any funny business with OMR sheets later on, helping prevent the kind of corruption that plagued past exams.
One excited candidate shared with reporters, "Giving us carbon copies of the OMR sheets feels like a good sign – maybe this time there won’t be any scams. But with the interview round coming up, we’ll have to wait and see if the whole process stays transparent."
The exam kicked off at noon, right after question papers went out at 11:45 a.m. Around 3.5 lakh people showed up for this round, which targets assistant teacher posts for classes 9-10. Interestingly, about 31,000 candidates – that’s 10% of the total – came from other states, showing the wide appeal of these West Bengal teaching jobs.
West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu was all smiles about how smoothly it went. In a quick social media post after the exam ended, he congratulated everyone involved, from candidates to WBSSC officials and the school education department. "Huge thanks to all who made this possible. We’re committed to giving full support for next week’s exam for classes 11-12, ensuring top-notch security, fairness, and clarity," he said.
This SLST exam is all about filling 35,726 vacant teaching posts in state-run schools for classes 9-12. Out of these, 23,212 spots are for classes 9-10, and 12,514 for classes 11-12. Overall, more than 5.65 lakh people applied for the two rounds combined. The second and final round happens on September 14, focusing on higher secondary teachers.
But why now, after all these years? It all ties back to a massive teacher recruitment scam that shook West Bengal politics. Back in 2016, the last time WBSSC ran this exam, crooks manipulated OMR sheets and took bribes to hand out jobs. Big names like former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamool Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha got arrested, along with many education department officers.
The Supreme Court stepped in big time on April 3, scrapping the jobs of about 26,000 teachers and staff hired through that shady 2016 process. They ordered a fresh start, banning tainted candidates from this new exam. On August 30, WBSSC released a list of 1,806 such scam-linked names. Even when some of these folks begged the Calcutta High Court to let them take the test, both a single judge and a division bench said no way.
This clean slate comes straight from Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court orders, making sure only eligible candidates get a fair shot at these crucial West Bengal school teacher vacancies. With the scam’s shadow still lingering, everyone’s watching closely to see if this recruitment process delivers real transparency. Stay tuned for updates on the September 14 exam!
