KOLKATA: The education department has instructed the teachers that had suggested that the 23rd West Bengal State Eligibility Test scheduled on January 9 in physical mode should be postponed due to the third wave to cooperate in smooth conducting of the examinations and set safety guidelines to be followed at the examination centres.
Different government, government-aided colleges and state-aided universities will be the venue for the examination which will be taken by several thousand aspirants on Sunday morning. Though the government has suspended all offline classes and examinations, WBSET will be the first examination to be held in physical mode in the middle of the third wave.
Most colleges and universities were open on Saturday where the staff were busy arranging seats, setting up isolation rooms and make other arrangements for the examination.
Several teachers’ organisations had written to the education department to postpone the examination to safeguard examinees, invigilators and their families and prevent the virus from spreading.
“The West Bengal College Service Commission is going ahead with the examination on Sunday and it will be conducted by the vice chancellors and registrars of universities, principals of colleges, teaching and no-teaching staff of the universities and colleges. All those who are assigned the examination duty are requested to co-operate actively for smooth conduct of the 23rd WBSET,” said an official of the education department.
Isolation rooms have been set up for candidates who are either suffering from Covid or show symptoms before the start of the examination. Invigilators in the isolation rooms will be required to wear PPE kits, gloves and masks. All invigilators and support staff must be fully vaccinated. The sheets used by the infected examinees will be packed separately.
“We have used several classrooms to accommodate the examinees taking the exams in our college. Chairs have been placed at least eight feet apart from each other to create social distancing. Provisions have been made for an isolation room for candidates, who are positive, to take the examinations,” said the principal of a government college.
The candidates must report to the centre by 9 am. The exam will start by 10.30 am.
