The recruitment process for college lecturers will be revised to ensure that the selected candidates have sound knowledge of their subjects and can also teach well.

“We are trying to reorganise the selection procedure,” said Himangshu Ghosh, the chairman of the state college service commission.

“Our aim is to make the process more transparent and to ensure that the candidates who are selected have indepth knowledge of their subjects and the ability to teach well.”

According to the commission’s rules, a candidate seeking lectureship in a college has to score 55 per cent marks in the postgraduate examination and qualify through the State Level Eligibility Test (Slet) or the National Eligibility Test (NET).

Candidates who fulfil the two criteria have to face an interview conducted by the commission. In the final selection, some other aspects, too, are taken into consideration on a 100-point scale.

Twenty points are allotted to the candidate’s performance in the postgraduate exam, 20 to the undergraduate tests, 15 to the Class XII and 10 to Class X exams, five to previous teaching experience, five to publications in reputable journals, five to the Ph.D/M.Phil degree, 10 to the Slet/NET performance and 10 to the interview.

“This weightage system is irrational and needs to be changed,” said a principal of a college on the northern city fringes.

Commission sources said the weightage system would be “thoroughly” revised. “We are trying to distribute the points in a way that will enable us to judge better the candidates’ knowledge of their subjects and teaching skills,” said a member of the commission.

Sources in various colleges cited examples to show how candidates with qualities to become good teachers suffer because of the existing weightage system.

Tarun Chatterjee (name changed), a postgraduate in Bengali, scored 10 in the college service commission interview. “Chatterjee knew his subject well and his grasp of general knowledge, too, was impressive. He still could not bag the job as his MA score was less than that of the candidate who was selected,” said a source.

A member of a selection committee of a north Calcutta college said an applicant who had scored more than 65 per cent in her subject did not know the name of the state finance minister. “But she got selected as her BA and MA marks were better than that of the other applicants.”