Post SC verdict WBSSC gearing up for transparent recruitment process

Since complications in segregating the “genuine” and “tainted candidates” have arisen because of the mishandling of the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets used in the written examination, the commission is now, especially, focusing on making the system of evaluation and preservation of such OMR sheets more transparent and foolproof in future.

Sources aware of the development said that senior WBSSC officials are currently busy preparing the draft documents for the new recruitment policy of the commission.

“Once the draft is finalised, the commission will send it to the office of the state education department for final clearance. After the state government’s approval, the new recruitment policy will be applicable,” said an official attached to the state education department who did not wish to be named.

During the course of court proceedings on irregularities in the recruitment of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs in the commission’s panel for 2016, both at the Calcutta High Court first and then at the Supreme Court, severe lapses on the part of the commission in the preservation of the OMR sheets surfaced.

First, the original OMR sheets were destroyed just one year after the date of the written examination, instead of following the past practice of preserving such sheets for at least three years after the date of the examination.

Secondly, neither the scanned copies nor the mirror images of the OMR sheets were preserved. Finally, the commission outsourced the work of evaluation and preservation of the OMR sheets instead of using WBSSC’s own infrastructure, which was adequate for that purpose. Because of all these lapses, the segregation of “genuine” and “tainted” candidates became almost impossible, thus prompting the Calcutta High Court first and the apex court of the country thereafter to cancel the entire panel of 25,753 jobs.