Kolkata, Sep 16 (IANS): Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday, alleged that the main purpose of conducting Teachers’ Eligibility test (TET) in the state is not recruitment of primary teachers but to fill the state exchequer.

His allegations come just a couple of days after the West Bengal Board of Primary Examination (WBBPE) announced that the TET examination for recruitment of primary teachers for 2023 will be conducted in December.

Claiming that since actual recruitment does not happen years after the recruitment examinations are conducted, he claimed that such examinations have become a medium for earning a one-time income for the state government. He also substantiated his claims with statistics on this count.

"Till last year, an examination form for TET examinations cost just Rs 125. From this year, it has been increased to Rs 500. On an average around 7,00,000 candidates appear for the examination every time. So going by that, the state government will earn around Rs 28 crore by selling those entrance examination forms. Excluding an approximate

amount of Rs 3 crore as the cost of conducting the examination process, the state government will earn a net income of Rs 25 crore. Examinations will happen, but not the actual recruitment of eligible candidates," he said.

He also said that this income from selling the entrance examination forms will be utilised for funding the legal expenses for cases filed against the state government.