Kolkata, Feb 6,2023: A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court has summoned the entire panel of interviewers for conducting aptitude tests for the teacher eligibility test (TET) for recruitment of primary teachers in 2016.

On Monday Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court observed that from the affidavit submitted by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) it is clear that no proper aptitude test was conducted in the primary teachers’ recruitment in 2016 and rather the candidates were given average marks just based on the total marks secured in the interview and written examination.

Justice Gangopadhyay ordered that in the first phase the panel members from Hooghly, Howrah, North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar and Murshidabad districts will have to be present in his court on February 21 at 2 p.m. He will personally question them in a closed-door courtroom, where only panel members summoned and the counsels of all parties concerned will be allowed to stay.

He also directed that the panel members coming from faraway districts from Kolkata will be provided a conveyance allowance of Rs 2,000 each by the WBBPE. Those panel members coming from nearby districts will be entitled to an allowance of Rs 500 each. In due course the panel members from other districts will also be summoned.

It is learnt that as per rules a separate aptitude test is a must for primary teachers’ recruitment besides the interview and this aptitude test carries separate marks also. It is a kind of practical test to know how capable the candidates are of interacting with the children in the primary section.