The College Service Commission will hold the State Eligibility Test (SET) for appointment of college teachers on January 9 at sub-divisional levels so that the 83,000-odd candidates can write the exam at centres close to home.
The test will be held at 189 centres in 68 sub-divisions across the state, barring Kolkata. While applying, the candidates were allowed to choose a centre closer to their place of stay.
When the commission had last conducted the test in January 2020, there were 88 centres.
This time the commission is holding the test in the Sunderbans so the examinees are not required to travel to Diamond Harbour to write the papers, said Dipak Kar, chairman of the commission.
Earlier, the candidates from Darjeeling and Kalimpong had to take the test in Siliguri. This time the two hill towns will host venues.
“The candidates don’t have to go beyond his or her district to write the test. They can appear in the exams at the sub-division level,” he said.
“We have increased the number of centres almost by two-and-a-half times to avoid crowding at the venues.”
Only one student will occupy each bench to maintain the physical distancing norm. The candidates’ body temperature will be checked by a thermal gun at entry.
The standard Covid protocol, including the ‘no mask, no exam’ rule, will be in force.
“Since Covid cases are being reported, we are taking as much precaution as possible,” said an official of the College Service Commission.
Candidates who will crack the State Eligibility Test have to appear in an interview.
“A large number of college teachers will retire in 2022, following the state government’s decision in 2019 to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65. We are holding exams to prepare a pool from which vacant seats will be filled,” said an official of the commission.
The retirement age of college teachers was first raised to 62 in 2017.
“But before we could make any recruitment in 2019, the government further raised the retirement age to 65 years,” said an official.