Mita Mukherjee

The West Bengal College Service Commission will conduct the State Eligibility Test (SET) for the appointment of college teachers according to the original schedule on January 9 but the time of the exam has been changed, the commission said today.

According to the revised time, Paper-I will start at 10.30 am instead of 9.30 am and continue till 11.30 am. Paper-II will start at 12 Noon and continue till 2 pm.  Candidates will have to report to the examination venues at 9 am.

The commission has revised the examination time in view of the restrictions imposed by the government in the light of the surge in numbers of Covid-19 and Omicron variant cases including those in plying of local trains, said commission chairman Dipak Kar.

Nearly 83,000 candidates will write the test at 189 centres across Bengal in offline mode.

“Many candidates will have to come by train to write the papers. Local trains are now operating with 50 per cent seating capacity. Candidates can face problems in reaching the centres because of the restriction. We have revised the exam time so that the candidates don’t face problems in reaching the centres,” Kar told EducationWorld.  

The commission had conducted SET for recruiting assistant professors for state-aided colleges for the last time in January 2020 when the number of centres was only 88.

The number of centres has been increased almost two-and-a-half times this time so that candidates do not have to travel a longer distance to write the test. By increasing the number of venues, examinees could choose a centre closer to their place of stay, said Kar.

The commission has taken adequate steps to ensure that all Covid protocols are strictly followed at each and every centre.

“Covid cases are being reported from various places in the state. All possible precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of the candidates and the staff during the exam. Physical distancing norms will be strictly maintained. Only one examinee will sit on one bench,” said an official.

Also read: West Bengal shuts schools, colleges amid rising Covid cases