WBSSC exam held ‘peacefully with 91% attendance’ in Bengal
Kolkata/Darjeeling: The assistant teachers’ recruitment examination for Classes IX–X in Bengal on Sunday drew an impressive 91 per cent turnout, with thousands arriving from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi in search of opportunities they said were scarce back home.
The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) conducted the exam in 636 centres across the state, with the test beginning at 12 noon. Of the 3,19,919 registered candidates, nearly 31,000, or almost 10 per cent, were from outside Bengal. “We are grateful to the state administration for its full support, which enabled the examination to be conducted smoothly and peacefully,” said WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumder.
Education minister Bratya Basu congratulated stakeholders on the seamless conduct. “My sincere congratulations to the candidates, WBSSC, the School Education department and officials involved. The administration will ensure that next Sunday’s Class XI–XII exam is conducted with equal security, clarity and transparency,” he said.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh stated: “Today, along with Bengal, job seekers from outside states, including Uttar Pradesh, the so-called double engine government state, appeared for the SSC examination. Many of them admitted that there are no jobs there, exams are not held properly and have been postponed repeatedly. That is why they came here to sit for the exam. Importantly, no one here has said that Bengal’s recruitment exams are only for Bengalis. No one has harassed them. No one has insulted them. No one has stopped them.”
From Kolkata to Bankura, exam centres saw aspirants arriving in groups from BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Bihar, governed by the BJP-led NDA. Many cited delays, cancellations and uncertainty in their home states.
“UP last notified vacancies for Classes IX–X in 2022, but the exam is still pending and only recently got a December date. Here the process moved quickly, so I decided to take my chances,” said Sumit Shahi from Mau, UP, who applied for Mathematics in English-medium schools.
Another UP aspirant, Dwarika Viswakarma from Deoria, added: “The last exam was in 2021. I finished my B.Ed in 2022, so I wasn’t eligible then. Now the LT grade notification is out but no exam date yet. Since Bengal has vacancies, I came. If selected, I’ll join—I just need a government teaching job.”
In Bihar, cancelled recruitment drives left many frustrated. “I appeared for an exam in 2024 but it was cancelled. Now I want to work in Bengal, where opportunities are good,” said Rohit Kumar.
For others, this was another stop in a long search. “I sat for a DSSSB exam last month, but with few opportunities after my B.Ed in 2020, I came here,” said Jitendra Kumar from Prayagraj, UP, now living in Delhi, who applied for Hindi.
Muskan from North-East Delhi, who wrote the Hindi paper, alleged: “Vacancies are few and when exams happen, papers often get leaked. Wherever opportunities arise, I will go, even if I have to learn a new language.”
In Siliguri, the exam took place at 14 centres under strict security arrangements. “This is my first time appearing for an exam in Bengal. In UP, since 2021, no exams have been held. They just announce the dates but the examinations are not held. Recently, exams were to take place on May 12 this year but were cancelled. I have full faith in the Bengal government. The arrangements were good and we did not face any problems,” stated Sunil Kumar from UP.
Mandip Singh, also from UP, echoed similar sentiments stated that there is no employment under the ‘double engine’ government. He also admitted that Sunday’s examinations were held smoothly and they did not face any problems.
The exam also drew participation from “untainted” teachers recruited in 2016, whom the Supreme Court allowed to continue till December 31, but required to reappear. Many expressed anguish. Ahtesham Ain, a Maths teacher at Shibpur Urdu School, arrived in a black T-shirt at Shyambazar’s Maharaja Manindra Chandra College. “I can take exams any number of times, but why should we be forced to? We lost our jobs unfairly,” he said.
In South Dinajpur, Rakesh Alam, once a teacher at Thangapara High School, wrote the exam in the same institution where he taught for eight years. “It is humiliating,” he said. In Bankura, Sharmistha Dwari appeared in a black T-shirt marked Hok Pratibad (Let there be protest). “I first took the exam in 2016 with a smile. This time I was anxious and disturbed,” she admitted.
At Kolkata’s Jadavpur Vidyapeeth, a 55-year-old Burdwan teacher broke down. “I used to supervise exams. Today I had to come as a candidate. At this age, I cannot even study properly,” she said.
Determination was also visible. In Diamond Harbour, Masuda Khatun appeared with her three-day-old infant. “When the notification came I was pregnant, but I did not give up. I studied even on my hospital bed,” she said.
There are 23,212 vacancies for Classes IX–X and another 12,514 for higher secondary level. The Class XI–XII recruitment exam, with over 2.46 lakh candidates, will be held on September 14 across 478 centres.
