Bengal issues new teacher recruitment rules for classes 9–12 and upper primary, alters marking scheme

The West Bengal School Education Department has released updated recruitment rules for teachers of classes IX–X, XI–XII, and upper primary (classes VI–VIII). The new policy includes changes in age eligibility, marking distribution, and evaluation procedures, aimed at streamlining the selection process. Candidates up to 40 years of age can now apply for these posts.

For secondary and higher secondary teacher recruitment (classes IX–X and XI–XII), the selection will be based on 100 marks. Of this, 60 marks will be assigned to a written examination conducted via OMR sheets, 10 marks to educational qualification, 10 to interview performance, 10 to teaching ability, and 10 to prior teaching experience. For educational qualifications, candidates scoring 60% or more in graduation/post-graduation will get full 10 marks, those scoring 50–60% will receive 8 marks, and those with less than 50% will get 6 marks.

Candidates with teaching experience in government or government-aided schools will get 2 marks for each completed year, up to a maximum of 10 marks. A candidate with 5 or more years of experience will be awarded full marks under this category. In addition, 10 marks each will be allotted for the candidate’s classroom demonstration and interview. Currently employed teachers will be able to avail full benefits of the experience, demo, and interview components.

Model answer keys for the written exam will be published five days before the results. Subject-specific expert professors from colleges or universities will be appointed to review any suggestions or corrections received on the model answers. Final answer keys will be uploaded only after expert review. At the time of final merit list publication, each selected candidate’s score, category-wise cutoff marks, and total obtained marks will be uploaded.

The merit panel will remain valid for one year and can be extended by six months with government approval. The School Service Commission (SSC) is required to retain OMR sheets for two years and scanned copies for ten years. For upper primary teacher recruitment (classes VI–VIII), TET qualification has been made mandatory, carrying a weightage of 40 marks. The OMR-based written test will be of 25 marks, interview 15 marks, with 5 marks each for classroom demonstration and teaching experience newly added under the revised scheme.