Agitating TET candidates should withdraw sit-in protest: Bengal education minister

NEW DELHI : West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu said the agitating candidates of Teacher Eligibility Test 2014 should withdraw their sit-in demonstration near the state primary education board office.

Hinting that the sit-in protest, which began on October 17 in Salt Lake area, was instigated by some political parties, Basu told reporters here on Wednesday, "There are people who want the impasse to continue." "Is it feasible that everyone who has sat for a test automatically gets recruited? Does everyone in the NET, NEET, WBJEE panel (merit list) get job at the outset?" he said on the candidates' demand that they be given direct recruitment despite not having cleared the interviews. Basu alleged the agitation appeared to have been instigated by those who don't want the recruitment process to begin.

Also Read | BHU Fee-hike: Blowing horns in front of buffalo to torch procession, why students are protesting

"I have been asked not to accept anyone's instruction, not from any higher-ups… the entire interview process will be strictly based on merit. Don't the agitators favour merit-based recruitment? Don't they want a recruitment process free from any political consideration?" he said. One of the agitators, however, alleged that as the 2014 TET recruitment was not carried out on the basis of merit, conducting two rounds of interview was "not fair". "Hence, we should not be subjected to a fresh round of test and interview process and instead get direct recruitment," Arnab Ghosh, an agitating candidate said.

He claimed the candidates are not blocking the main entrance of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education headquarters and there was no possibility of disruption of normal work. Basu said the primary education board has announced that there will be a test every year , which is unheard of anywhere else in the country. "In no other state do TET exams take place every year. In no other state do candidates not included in the panel expect to get jobs directly," he added.

Those who had cleared the preliminary examination were called for the interview process, but many of them did not find place in the panel (merit list) after the two rounds of interview.