West Bengal Primary TET results: Trained teachers to get jobs first

The long wait for the primary Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) results is finally over! Following a judgment by Calcutta High Court, the state has declared the results, recruiting 60,000 primary schoolteachers, the biggest intake in the recent past.

On Wednesday morning, a judgment by Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) to publish the results immediately by giving first preference to the Primary Teachers Training Institute (PTTI) trained candidates during recruitment. The WBBPE promptly published the results in the afternoon.

The TET exam is the gateway to jobs as teachers in government aided primary schools in Bengal. The TET exam was conducted on October 11, 2015 and 20,01,301 candidates took the exam to fill up over 60,000 teachers’ vacancies. However, the results could not be published because of a legal battle — some PTTI trained candidates appealed that as per the Right To Education (RTE) Act, which says all teachers should be trained, WBBPE should recruit only trained teachers.

Read more: West Bengal teacher eligibility test (TET-2014) results out, check them here

Justice CS Karnan asked the WBBPE to give first preference to the trained candidates while offering jobs. “Our results were ready. So, once the high court gave us a green signal on Wednesday, we published them almost immediately. As directed by the honourable court, we will give first preference to the candidates who are trained. We have about 60,000 vacancies,” said Manik Bhattacharya, the president of WBBPE.

The total marks in the TET exam was 150 and the candidates who scored above 60% (general category) and 55% (reserved category) have been declared successful. However, Bhattacharya did not comment on how many of the candidates who took the exam belonged to the trained or untrained category.

CM Mamata Banerjee, too, shared the news of TET recruitment while speaking at Singur. Mamata asked education minister Partha Chatterjee about the TET verdict. “Soon after the court gave us a green signal, the TET results were published. They are available on the internet,” Chatterjee said. “How many would get jobs?” asked Mamata.

“60,000,” replied Chatterjee. Soon, an elated chief minister turned to the crowd and said, “Oh, the results have already been uploaded! See, action speaks louder than words. Our results were ready. We were just waiting for the verdict of the court.”

The last primary TET exam was conducted in 2012 which was taken by 17,51,051 candidates but only 18,793 candidates (1.07%) candidates passed keeping over 16,000 seats vacant. The government later allowed the 2012 unsuccessful TET candidates to take the 2015 TET exam without any exam fee.

The School Service Commission, too, has announced the results of its TET exam, conducted for recruiting teachers who would teach in classes 6 to 8 in the government-aided schools of Bengal. Over 5,45,000 candidates had taken the exam, which was conducted on August 30, 2014.