The West Bengal Board of Primary Education has asked candidates who will appear for interview at the board’s Salt Lake office on Tuesday to follow Covid-19 protocol, said an official of the board.
The board last week announced that it would hold the first phase of the interview/ viva-voce and aptitude test under its “direct supervision and monitoring” for candidates who aspire to teach in government-aided primary schools in Kolkata on December 27.
A notice signed by the board’s secretary, Ratna Bagchi, says: “It is hereby notified that the board is going to conduct the first phase of the interview on Tuesday. It is compulsory for everyone to follow the Covid-19 protocol.”
Partha Karmakar, the deputy secretary (academic) of the board said candidates have to follow the usual drill that includes the mandatory wearing of masks, maintaining physical distancing norms and other safety norms.
“We have called 200 candidates in different slots throughout the day so the crowding could be avoided as much as possible. The candidates must mask up. While standing in the queue during a particular slot they must follow the physical distancing norms. The candidates must come with hand sanitisers,” Karmakar said.
The board issued the advisory on a day when a woman who came via an international flight was admitted to Beleghata ID Hospital after she tested positive for Covid.
More surveillance and stress on vaccination are the measures that would be taken at present in Bengal to monitor and prevent any possible rise in Covid cases, a meeting of an expert committee decided on Thursday.
An official of the board said they would engage staff to monitor whether the candidates are complying with the safety protocol.
This would be the first attempt by the board to make recruitment in government-aided primary schools after 2020.
The board stalled the process following allegations of irregularities in recruitment made so far. All the interviews will be video-recorded to maintain transparency, said a board official.
Body with injury marks found
Amita Majumder, 72, was found dead in her home in Parnasree on Monday.
According to police, the body had partly decomposed and there were injury marks on the woman’s neck and shoulders. The body had bloated up.
“A piece of cotton cloth rolled up like a rope was found lying beside the body,” said a police officer.
Amita had told her brother-in-law two days ago that it was the last time that she was meeting him, the police said.
