The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) has banned covered footwear for Group C and Group D recruitment exams. Candidates must now wear slippers or sandals. The rule aims to prevent cheating. The exams are scheduled for March 1 and March 8 across West Bengal. The SSC chairman, Siddhartha Majumdar, stated the ban makes frisking easier. It prevents hiding phones or electronic devices in shoes. This follows recent incidents of alleged AI-assisted cheating in board examinations. Admit cards with the updated instructions are available for download. The SSC also prohibits jewelry and metallic items. Only transparent pens and water bottles are permitted. Wristwatches are banned. Candidates bringing banned items must deposit them at designated counters. Majumdar warned that candidates with prohibited items will be disqualified. This footwear rule has drawn criticism from some candidates. They cite inconvenience, especially for those traveling long distances. Over 8.13 lakh candidates are expected for the Group C exam. Around 8.20 lakh candidates will take the Group D exam. Nearly 1,700 test centers are set up statewide.
Exam Security Measures
The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) is implementing new security measures for its Group C and Group D recruitment examinations. A key change requires candidates to wear open footwear like slippers or sandals instead of covered shoes. This directive, announced by SSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar, aims to enhance exam integrity. He explained that covered shoes can conceal electronic devices. Such concealment poses a risk of unfair practices, including the use of artificial intelligence in cheating. The ban is a direct response to recent instances where examinees allegedly hid devices in their footwear. These incidents occurred during board examinations, prompting the commission to act proactively.
Prohibited Items List
Beyond footwear, the SSC has also expanded its list of banned items within examination halls. Candidates are strictly forbidden from bringing jewelry and any metallic objects. The commission will permit only transparent pens and water bottles. Wristwatches are also prohibited to prevent any form of unfair advantage or communication device. Candidates arriving with any of these banned items will need to surrender them at designated deposit counters before entering the examination venue. Failure to comply with these regulations will result in immediate disqualification.
Candidate Concerns and Scale of Exams
The new footwear regulation has sparked debate among candidates. Some express concerns about the inconvenience, particularly for those undertaking long journeys to the examination centers. They highlight potential difficulties in managing open footwear outside the centers. The scale of these recruitment drives is substantial. The Group C examination anticipates over 8.13 lakh participants. The Group D examination is expected to draw around 8.20 lakh candidates. To accommodate this large number of applicants, the SSC has established approximately 1,700 examination centers across the state.