The West Bengal government has put off an eligibility exam for the post of primary teachers after a sack of question papers went missing.
The West Bengal government has put off an eligibility exam for the post of primary teachers that was scheduled for Sunday, August 30, to October 4. Atleast one sack full of question papers disappeared from a minibus they were being transported in yesterday, from Kolkata to Hooghly district.
23 lakh people were expected to take the primary Teachers' Eligibility Test or TET, for around 30,000 posts and a huge 'bandobast' or security arrangements had been put in place across the state to ensure peaceful exams.
The exam papers were being transported by the postal department.
One sack full of question papers reportedly tumbled out of the minibus when the glass pane of a rear window broke and fell off. However, at least 2 policemen were in the minibus transporting the exam papers, but failed to notice anything till it was too late.
Bengal's education minister Partha Chatterjee has said that a police complaint is being filed after the incident.
The opposition parties have criticised the Trinamool Congress led state government for its alleged incompetence in holding the exam.
CPM leader Surya Kanta Mishra said, "The CPM's Students' Federation of India (SFI) has called for a road blockade across the state from noon tomorrow."
Terming it a scam, Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury said, "These days in Bengal, question papers disappear and are put on sale."
On 28 June, the government had cancelled exams to the Industrial Training Institutes or ITIs after question papers were leaked.
Earlier in April 2013, when the last TET was held in the state, there was chaos as 40 lakh students tried to reach exam centres without any special transport arrangements being put into place by the government.