The state primary education board conducted the first phase of interviews for the appointment of teachers at the primary level (Classes I to V) in government-aided schools on Tuesday.
Candidates who had written the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) of 2014 and 2017 appeared for the interview.
The staff posted at the gate of the board’s Salt Lake head office called out the names of the candidates in accordance with slots in what was the first attempt by the board to restart the recruitment process that remained stalled amid complaints of irregularities.
A board official said 200 candidates split into smaller groups of five were called from 10am throughout the day.
As the candidates entered Acharya Prafulla Chandra Bhavan at Salt Lake’s Karunamoyee intersection, the staff handed each candidate a mask and sprayed sanitisers on their hands.
Partha Karmakar, the board’s deputy secretary (academic), said they would very soon come up with a notification to announce the next schedule of the interview.
“We want to complete the recruitment process while following Covid safety measures,” said a board official.
A candidate who was called for the interview on Tuesday said she already appeared for the interview twice earlier after cracking TET in 2015.
“I am looking forward to getting appointed at last. However, until I get the letter of appointment, I won’t relax,” said the candidate.
Former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, was arrested by the ED in November in connection with alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment.
All the interviews are being video-recorded to maintain transparency.
