The state primary education board will video-record interviews and aptitude tests conducted to screen candidates for primary school teacher posts to ensure transparency in the selection process, the board president said on Saturday.
The board will hold the first phase of interviews and aptitude tests on January 30 to screen candidates for the English-medium sections of government-aided primary schools (Classes I to V).
"The entire process will be videographed to ensure transparency," said Gautam Paul, the board president.
"The subsequent rounds of interviews and aptitude tests for the Bengali-medium sections will be videographed as well," Paul said.
The candidates who will appear for interviews have already cleared the teachers' eligibility test (TET).
The board will recruit 13,421 teachers for government-aided primary schools (Classes I to V) in this round.
A notice that the board issued on December 24 says: "The board is going to conduct the first phase of interview/viva-voce and aptitude test centrally under its direct supervision and monitoring for candidates who opted for English medium...."
The teachers' eligibility test (TET) was held in December 2023 to shortlist candidates for teaching posts.
The fresh recruitment process would start after a Calcutta High Court division bench on December 3 saved the jobs of 32,000 primary school teachers. The order said that so many could not be sacked for the alleged fault of a handful.
"We want to videograph the entire process of aptitude test and interviews so that necessary evidence can be produced in case any doubts are raised later about the recruitment process," the board president said.
An education department official said a barrage of petitions alleging irregularities in recruitment had already delayed the process.
“The board has to maintain transparency in the fresh selection process so that no one can find loopholes again,” the official said.
In November, the education department announced the transfer of 23,145 primary school teachers from government-aided primary schools so they could serve in institutions hobbled by the lack of teachers.
"The lack of enough teachers happened because of the delayed appointments," the official said.