Bengal cancels 2024 primary TET due to recruitment backlog and legal issues

The West Bengal Primary Education Board has officially canceled the 2024 Primary Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), prioritizing pending recruitment for candidates from previous TET exams in 2022 and 2023. Board officials confirmed the decision, citing ongoing legal complications and recruitment backlogs that have prevented the timely hiring of eligible candidates. This is the first time since 2022, following a five-year gap, that the board will not conduct the TET exam.

In December 2022, over one lakh candidates sat for the TET, with approximately 1.5 lakh successfully qualifying. Despite this large pool of eligible candidates, recruitment has been significantly delayed, reportedly due to procedural irregularities and multiple legal challenges that emerged shortly after the results were announced. This backlog has only grown as the 2023 TET exam was conducted, but results have yet to be fully processed, further delaying recruitment for candidates awaiting placement.

Chairman Gautam Pal, representing the Primary Education Board, initially announced that the TET would be conducted annually, intending to meet the state’s high demand for primary teachers and streamline the hiring process. In 2023, Pal also assured two rounds of teacher recruitment to address existing shortages, though these rounds have not yet been completed. Pal has now confirmed that the board's focus is on completing recruitments from prior years before administering any future exams.

Board sources explain that logistical and administrative constraints made it difficult to schedule the TET within the remaining two months of the year while also completing the backlog of recruitments. Additionally, ongoing legal cases, reportedly linked to previous recruitment irregularities and allegations of corruption within the TET process, have further delayed the board’s ability to proceed with both recruitment and examination cycles in a timely manner.

The 2024 TET cancellation will likely increase the number of aspiring candidates awaiting teacher recruitment, adding further pressure to the already delayed process. The board has assured it is working to complete hiring from previous TET exams before reestablishing an annual examination schedule, though no specific timeline has been provided for the resumption of regular TET exams.