‘Formulate subject-wise expert panel to look into the disputed TET questions’

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday opined to formulate subject-wise expert committee to look into the disputed questions and answer keys pointed by candidates of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2017 and 2022. The judgement in the matter was reserved by the Division Bench.

The West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) and successful TET candidates from both years had appealed against the order of a Single Bench which directed for the formation of an expert committee led by the vice-chancellor (V-C) of Visva-Bharati University to scrutinise the disputed questions and answer keys. The V-C was directed to form the committee, which would go through the questions and identify the correct answers. They were to check the answers of the candidates as well. The Single Bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed the committee to submit a report within a month.

During the hearing at Division Bench led by Justice Harish Tandon, advocates representing the affected candidates submitted that these disputes were raised with regards to five subjects, including Bengali, English, Mathematics, Environmental Science and Child Pedagogy. It was also submitted that the dispute was in 23 questions of 2017 and 24 questions of 2022.

The hearing with regards to the case ended on June 21. The judgement was reserved. The Court was earlier inclined to refer the entire set of questions and answer keys – 150 – to an independent expert. The other view was that only disputed questions should be referred to the experts.

Justice Mantha had observed three possible actions which could be adopted by the Court in this matter.

The first was to strike out questions with more than one possible answer which would result in reduction of marks awarded to all candidates and other ways marks can be awarded to the candidates who attempted the dispute answer key question.

The third option was award marks only to those candidates who have chosen the correct answer key by the expert as well as those who have given the answer as per the Board.