Kolkata: The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) will conduct region-wise interviews for the recruitment of assistant teachers at the Classes IX–X and XI–XII levels, sources within the Commission confirmed on Friday.
The decision comes as the Commission prepares to declare the results of the written examinations held separately for both levels on September 7 and 14. The results are expected to be announced in the first or early second week of November. Officials said the regional interview plan has been drawn up to complete the recruitment process by December 31, in line with the Supreme Court’s directive.
The WBSSC has five regional offices—Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western and South-Eastern—which are likely to conduct interviews independently. The second State Level Selection Test (SLST) is being conducted to fill a total of 35,726 assistant teacher vacancies—23,212 for Classes IX–X and 12,514 for the higher secondary level.
As per recruitment rules, candidates will be shortlisted for interview and lecture demonstration based on a preliminary merit score combining marks obtained in the written examination and academic records. The list will be prepared following a 1.6:1 ratio to the total number of vacancies—meaning that for every 100 posts, around 160 candidates will be called. Officials estimate that between 50,000 and 60,000 candidates will feature in the interview list.
A senior official said the regional approach was necessary given the scale of the process. “Conducting interviews centrally would take at least five times longer,” the official explained. “Regionwise interviews will ensure we meet the apex court’s deadline.”
Candidates have meanwhile urged the Commission to maintain transparency and consistency in assessment across regions. “We prefer a centralised interview for fairness,” said a candidate. “If regional interviews are held due to time constraints, the WBSSC must ensure there is no variation in the marking system between regions.”