Bengal’s primary education board opens teacher applications: With 13,421 vacancies, here is what to know

The board had announced the recruitment drive for government-aided primary schools (Classes I to V) on September 27. On September 26, it published the results of the TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) held in December 2023 to shortlist candidates for the posts.

According to the notification, applicants must be at least 18 years old as on January 1, 2025. The upper age limit is 40 years, with relaxations for candidates belonging to SC, ST, OBC-A, OBC-B, PwD, ex-servicemen, exempted categories and para teachers. Candidates must possess the requisite academic and teacher-training qualifications and must have cleared the TET conducted by WBBPE. Selection will be based on a 50-mark evaluation matrix: Madhyamik results (5 marks), Higher Secondary (10), teacher training (15), TET score (5), extra-curricular activities (5), viva voce (5), and where applicable, an aptitude test or para teachers’ teaching experience (5).

The last round of primary-level recruitment was held in January 2021, based on the 2017 TET, four years after the notification.

The fate of those recruited in 2016 (based on TET-2014) and 2021 remains uncertain, as the Calcutta High Court last week completed hearing petitions alleging irregularities in the recruitment of 32,000 teachers. The final verdict is awaited.

A timeline of the case

In June 2022, the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teachers in government-aided primary schools by the West Bengal primary education board in 2014. The court noted that ineligible candidates were allegedly appointed in exchange for money.

The Enforcement Directorate also began its investigation in 2022, attaching properties worth over Rs 15 crore.

In May 2023, the Calcutta High Court set aside the recruitment of about 36,000 primary school teachers, stating that they did not have the proper qualifications and had not undergone a valid aptitude test.

The 2014 TET was followed by a recruitment process in 2016, leading to the appointment of 42,949 candidates. Of these, 32,000 are alleged to have been “untrained”.

The Enforcement Directorate and CBI continue to investigate the case. In a 2024 hearing, the court directed the agencies to provide progress reports, with the ED reporting “substantial progress” in uncovering a money trail and confiscating properties.

In September 2025, the Calcutta High Court granted bail to former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the larger teacher recruitment scam.

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