CBI registers FIR in West Bengal teachers recruitment scam

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against officials in the Bengal Board of Primary Education over alleged irregularities in the selection process of Assistant teachers of primary schools.

The FIR into the matter reads that a number of ineligible candidates got the appointment who did not mark the answers in the MCQ and submitted blank exam papers only mentioning their personal details got an appointment. Following the orders of the High Court of Calcutta, CBI on Thursday registered an FIR against unknown office bearers of West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Chandan Mondal alias Ranjan and unknown persons. Mondal is claimed to be a key operator in the recruitment irregularities scam.
It has been alleged that the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET), 2014 was held on October 11, 2015. The accused persons illegally, and arbitrarily gave appointments to the ineligible candidates by corrupt means. The primary teacher's jobs have been purchased in lieu of a huge amount of money and extraneous consideration extended by the ineligible candidates to get appointments as Assistant teachers in primary schools, the FIrlR reads.

West Bengal Board of Primary Education on December 23, 2020, published a notification for the recruitment of Primary Teachers. ln the notification, the Board invited online applications from TET, 2014 qualified trained candidates of West Bengal seeking appointment for the posts of Assistant Teachers against 16,500 state-wide vacancies in the Government Aided/Sponsored Primary/Junior Basic Schools.
The selection and appointment of the candidates were to be made in terms of West Bengal Primary School Teachers Recruitment Rules, 2016 as amended up to date and notified, it further reads.

It has been alleged that in the primary selection process ot TET, 2O14 the question paper and its evaluation process were done dubiously as wrong questions and or answer keys were designed in a disguised manner for depriving the eligible candidates.
It is further alleged some of the TETs fail and/or ineligible candidates of TET 2014 got appointments as Assistant teachers in primary schools. A number of ineligible candidates got appointments who did not answer the question by answering the MCQ and submitted blank exam papers only mentioning their personal details and got appointments as Assistant Teachers.
It is also alleged that an additional panel was created in a dubious manner and several persons who did not even pass TET-2014 were included in such additional panel. The complete selection process clearly shows favouritism and nepotism in the selection process.

"As per the allegations one person 'Ranjan' of Bagda, 24(Pargana), North, West Bengal who is also known aa 'Chandan Mondal' was an unholy nexus with the office bearers of the board and other concerned public servants as well as unknown others and in pursuance thereof facilitated appointments as a primary teacher to ineligible candidates in consideration of huge money," it read. (ANI)