Kolkata: Rivals in the political arena, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have competed to become teachers. People like Abhishek Banerjee, Dilip Ghosh, Sukanta Majumdar, Sujan Chakraborty and Suvendu Adhikari are not far behind.
Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2014 result shows that all these political stalwarts have cleared the exam with brilliant marks.
Shah scored 93, Mamta 92, Abhishek 98, Ghosh 84, Mazumdar 90 and Chakraborty 99.
The merit list, published on the website of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) on November 11, runs into 1,832 pages, containing the names of 11.25 lakh candidates who cleared the written test to appear for the next round of recruitment. Teacher in the schools run by the State Govt.
Understandably, the WBBPE is now at the center of a political uproar in West Bengal with the opposition alleging irregularities in school recruitments in the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-ruled state.
The board has rejected the allegations that there were fake names in the list. “These are namesakes and we have also provided the name of the candidate’s father and his contact numbers. Attempts are being made by political parties to defame the state.
Paul argued that there is no rule that there cannot be more than one person with the same name in the kingdom.
ThePrint contacted candidates whose names matched those of prominent West Bengal politicians. Mamta Banerjee, a resident of Bankura, told ThePrint that she had appeared for TET in 2014.
Another namesake Dilip Ghosh told that he was a resident of Bankura and had appeared in the entrance exam in 2014. Similarly, Sujan Chakraborty (not to be confused with the leader of Communist Party of India-Marxist) said that he lives in North 24 Parganas and also appeared for the interview but could not qualify.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition party, has none of the names matching the names of party stalwarts in the list of successful candidates.
Leader of the Opposition Shubhendu Adhikari mocked the merit list saying that he wanted to get a job in a school next to Mamata’s residence in Kolkata. “I want a job now and I want the children of the chief minister’s house to come and learn in my school where I will teach,” Suvendu said outside the Raj Bhavan on Monday.
But, Firhad Hakim, Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, claimed that it was a conspiracy against the state. “Some people are trying to mislead the people of the state and defame us. The education department should find out the culprits who are trying to defame the state and take action against them if the names are fake.
West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar shared the list on Twitter. “This is the level of education and assessment in West Bengal. Corruption is high and education and assessment is poor. Sad situation. When did @MamataOfficial stop playing with the lives of candidates?” He Tweeted,
Those who have been employed in TET 2014 protesting In Kolkata, they claimed that they were denied jobs, which were given to ineligible candidates in exchange for money. The teaching aspirants resolved to continue their fight till they get jobs in government schools of West Bengal.
Both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are probing the alleged teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal. Many high profile arrests including education minister Partha ChatterjeeManik Bhattacharya, who was the former chairman of the WB Board of Primary Education and TMC MLA, and other officials of the education department have joined.
CBI nominated in October 12 accusedThe former chairman of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission, the former advisor, and the then assistant secretary, the then chairman of an ad hoc committee of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, are included in its charge sheet in the Bengal teacher recruitment scam.
(Edited by Tony Rae)
Read also: ED’s charge sheet in Bengal SSC case states, ‘Rs 7-8 lakh was going for the post of teacher.’