Answersheet carbon copy, less weightage on viva: How Bengal plans to revamp competitive exams

Amid protests against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over paper leak in the NEET examination, as well as the School Service Commission (SSC) cash-for-jobs scam allegedly carried out under the patronage of the previous government in West Bengal, the newly elected BJP government is on its way to launch a host of measures that might clean up the arena of competitive exams in the state.

In an exclusive conversation with The Statesman, state Education Minister Dipak Barman said that they would bring down the weightage of vica voce in various competitve examinations, and make sure candidates receive a carbon copy of their answer sheets, among several other reforms to clean up this sector, which has allegedly been tarnished under the previous dispensation.

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“We will reduce the marks alloted for viva. We will also review the weightage of marks (across various sections). Candidates will also receive a carbon copy of the answer sheet they will write on. We will publish the answer key the very next day after the examination. If these measures are implemented, every candidate will know how they performed and whether they need more preparation,” Barman told The Statesman.

In an indirect reference to the Mamata Banerjee-led government during which the SSC scam took place, leading to thousands of aspirants losing their jobs, the Minister said, “To ensure transparency in the selection process, we will abolish the system of political appointments. Appointments will be administrative.”

Stopping short of giving the exact number of posts that might be vacant under the Commission, Barman said, “At present, there are roughly 40,000 vacancies. We will recruit for those. Following this, we will carry out yearly recruitment process for the annual list of vacancies.”

Assuring that the SSC examination would be conducted every year from now on, he advised all aspirants to carry on with their preparations. However he cautioned them not to get themselves involved in any dubious transactions for securing jobs through unfair means.

“Do not pay money to anyone. Do not trust anyone who claims they can get you a job. No one can do that. In fact, even I cannot,” he categorically stated.

Speaking about his education department, he sharply said, “We will not sell jobs. We are not an organisation that sells jobs.”

The state Education Minister however apologised for not catering to everyone’s grievances who were adversely affected in the teachers’ recruitment scam.

“We regret that we may not be able to remove everyone’s grievances because there are legal complications in every case. In a democracy, the judiciary has an important role. We cannot ignore or bypass it. However we are examining every issue with a humane approach,” he said.