On October 20, the Education Minister of West Bengal Bratya Basu said the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2014 candidates' agitating near the state primary education board office should withdraw their sit-in demonstration. On October 17, the sit-in protest started in the Salt Lake area and the Minister claimed that this was instigated by some political parties, stated a report by PTI.
Citing this the Minister told the media on Wednesday, October 19, that, "There are people who want the impasse to continue." Additionally, "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 about the candidates' demand that they be given direct recruitment despite not having cleared the interviews.
Raising a few questions on the candidates' demand that they be given direct recruitment despite not having cleared the interviews, the Minister said, "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?"
Further, he alleged the agitation appeared to have been instigated by those who don't want the recruitment process to begin. "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.
Contradictorily, one of the agitators alleged that as the 2014 TET recruitment was not carried out on the basis of merit, conducting two rounds of interviews was "not fair". In this regard, an agitating candidate Arnab Ghosh said, "Hence, we should not be subjected to a fresh round of test and interview process and instead get direct recruitment." Further, he claimed that 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.
Moreover, the Minister said, "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."
The ones who qualified for the preliminary exam were called for the interview process but many of them did not find a spot in the panel (merit list) after the two rounds of interviews, as stated in a report by PTI.
