Bengal primary edu board: Over 3 lakh candidates to write Teacher Eligibility Test on Dec 24

The West Bengal Board of Primary Education on Tuesday said that more than 3 lakh candidates are expected to appear for the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) on December 24.

Board president Goutam Paul said that all arrangements have been made to conduct the test at 743 centres across the state, including five in Kolkata.

The examinations are conducted for recruitment to state-run and aided primary schools.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday refused to grant a prayer by BJP MP Dilip Ghosh and another person for a change of date of TET since it coincides with the December 24 Bhagavad Gita chant programme, scheduled to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Holding that the directions sought cannot be granted, the court observed that the authorities of the state government and the Kolkata Police will ensure that the examinees are not disrupted in any manner from reaching the five centres.

Education Minister Bratya Basu had on Monday asserted that TET will be conducted smoothly on December 24.

The West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) is conducting TET for the second consecutive year to fill up over 10,000 vacancies.

After a gap of five years, TET was held in December 2022 when Paul said the examination will now be held annually to expedite the recruitment process.

The 2014 TET results were mired in controversy over alleged irregularities in the recruitment process and the CBI is conducting investigation on orders of Calcutta High Court.