The state primary education board will conduct the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) on February 22 to shortlist candidates for the recruitment of special educators in primary schools (Classes I to V).
The board has said that 2,308 special educators will be appointed in this round based on performance in TET and other selection parameters. A little over 3,000 candidates have applied for the posts.
A notification issued on Friday said the TET would be conducted at 2.30pm on February 22 and would be held “in accordance with the norms of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)”.
Special educators are teachers trained to work with differently abled children. They are responsible for preparing individualised education programmes (IEPs), adapting curricula, monitoring students’ progress, collaborating with families and professionals, and implementing intervention programmes to support the academic and personal development of the students.
Board president Gautam Paul said: “There is an order from the Supreme Court that special educators must be appointed. That is why the board has decided to conduct this TET to shortlist candidates for the posts.”
On March 7, 2025, the Supreme Court directed all states to notify sanctioned posts for special educators by March 28, 2025, and complete the appointment process within 12 weeks.
The court also instructed states to advertise the posts in newspapers and on government websites and undertake a selection and appointment process as part of an inclusive education drive.
Paul claimed that Bengal is the first state to conduct a TET for special educators.
Selection process
According to the board, the selection process will carry a total of 100 marks. Of these, TET will have a weightage of 80 marks, while classroom teaching demonstrations and interviews will carry 10 marks each.
Candidates must have Special BEd or DElEd degrees from institutes affiliated with the Rehabilitation Council of India to be eligible for appointment as special educators.
Teacher recruitment
The board last conducted TET in December 2023 to shortlist candidates for assistant teacher posts in government-aided primary schools (Classes I to V).
TET could not be held in 2024 and 2025 as the board was unable to complete recruitments based on TET 2022 and 2023.
Paul said interviews of candidates who qualified in TET 2022 and 2023 were currently underway to fill 14,321 assistant teacher posts. “The next TET will be held after these appointments are completed,” he said.
“Besides, the state government is in the process of finalising new recruitment norms for primary school teachers,” he added.
In November 2025, the state education department released draft recruitment rules proposing to increase the weightage of TET scores and reduce that of academic qualifications for the appointment of teachers in government-aided primary schools.
Under the draft rules, TET would carry 25 marks out of 40, compared to 5 marks out of 50 under the existing system.
The draft rules, which were placed in the public domain for feedback, are yet to be finalised by the education department, a board official said.
