The state primary education board will hold online counselling from next week to appoint teachers at the primary level (Classes I to V).

Manik Bhattacharya, the president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, said the online mode had been opted for because of Covid-19.

A notice issued on Tuesday said counselling would start next Monday.

During the counselling, the aspirants are required to opt for schools based on vacancies, as intimated by the district primary councils.

An official of the board said if there were no vacancies in the district where an aspirant lived, she or he had to choose a school from other districts.

“The vacancy figures have been uploaded. During the online counselling, the aspirants have to opt for the districts where they want to teach. They will finally be allotted schools based on their ranks on the merit list, which was announced in March,” Bhattacharya said.

Around 5,000 aspirants had been appointed in schools located in their respective districts before the Assembly elections.

The aspirants are being recruited based on their performance in the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) held in 2014, personality test and interview.

The high court had last Friday extended the interim stay on recruitment of teachers at the upper primary level (VI to VIII) till July 9 following complaints of irregularities.