The Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) will be held on schedule on December 24, Calcutta High Court said on Tuesday, striking down a prayer moved by BJP leader Dilip Ghosh.
Ghosh had wanted the exam date pushed back as the Prime Minister is slated to be in Kolkata that day to participate in a programme where many people will recite in unison from Bhagavat Gita at the Brigade Parade Ground.
Advocate Partha Ghosh, representing Dilip Ghosh, had petitioned the high court last week for an order to the state primary education board to reschedule the test.
The division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya on Tuesday rejected the petition after lawyer Samrat Sen, who appeared for the state government, told the court that there is no scope for any problem if the TET is held on December 24.
“In Kolkata, there will only be five centres where the examination will be held. None of the centres is close to the Brigade Parade Ground, where the Prime Minister will come,” the lawyer told the court.
Advocate Ghosh submitted: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Kolkata on December 24. The Prime Minister has various programmes in the city. The candidates who will appear in the TET may face problems because of changes in the traffic management system that day.”
While rejecting the petition, the bench said: “The state administration is directed to take all measures to hold the examination free of any trouble. The state will have to ensure that no examinees are harassed on the day.”
The TET, which is being held to screen candidates for appointment in government-aided primary schools, was originally scheduled for December 10. The primary education board deferred it because of “some logistical issues”.
Gautam Paul, president of the primary education board, said after the order that they are prepared to hold the TET on December 24.
“Around 3.09 lakh candidates are expected to write the test across the state. Of the 773 TET centres in the state, Kolkata has only five,” he said.
A board official said about 2,000 candidates are expected to write the test in these five centres.
Education minister Bratya Basu had said earlier this month that the number of vacant teacher posts at various levels in government-aided schools stood at more than 45,000. Of these, 11,765 posts are vacant at the primary level.
“Many of the teachers have retired over the past few years. Many will retire soon. If the vacant posts are not filled, the pupil-teacher ratio will be impacted,” said a board official.
