West Bengal Government Recruits 35,726 Assistant Teachers Ahead of Supreme Court Deadline

Strategic Insights -

The West Bengal government has announced the recruitment of 35,726 assistant teachers in state-run secondary and higher secondary schools, in line with the Supreme Court's order to start the recruitment process by May 31. The move comes after the Supreme Court scrapped the appointment of 25,752 school teachers and non-teaching staff in a bribe-for-job case in April. The new recruitment notification, published on the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) website, aims to fill 23,212 teacher positions for classes 9-10 and 12,514 for classes 11-12. The written examination is expected to be held in the first week of September, with results to be published in the fourth week of October.

Key Takeaways:

  • The West Bengal government has issued a notification to recruit 35,726 assistant teachers in state-run secondary and higher secondary schools.
  • The recruitment process is subject to the outcome of the review petitions filed by the WBSSC in the Supreme Court and the guidelines of the apex court.
  • 23,212 teachers will be recruited for classes 9-10, and 12,514 for classes 11-12.
  • A review petition was filed by the WBSSC in the Supreme Court, seeking to review the cancellation of the appointment of 25,752 school teachers and non-teaching staff.
  • The Supreme Court had allowed untainted assistant teachers to continue in service until fresh hiring and ordered the government to start the recruitment process by May 31 and complete it by December 31.
  • Many teachers who lost their jobs due to the SC's order have been holding protests since early May.
  • Age-relaxation has been given to the teachers who lost their jobs, with the upper age limit relaxable by five years for SC and ST candidates, three years for the backward-class candidates, and eight years for specially-abled candidates.
  • Teachers, including Debasish Adhikari and Rup Bhattacharya, have expressed concerns about the difficulty of preparing for the exam in just three months, given their family responsibilities and previous experience of working in schools.

Statistics:

  • 35,726 assistant teachers to be recruited in state-run secondary and higher secondary schools.
  • 23,212 teachers to be recruited for classes 9-10.
  • 12,514 teachers to be recruited for classes 11-12.
  • Written examination to be held in the first week of September.
  • Results to be published in the fourth week of October.
  • Counselling and recommendation process to start in the last week of November.
  • Age-relaxation for SC and ST candidates: five years.
  • Age-relaxation for backward-class candidates: three years.
  • Age-relaxation for specially-abled candidates: eight years.

Sources:

  • West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) website.
  • Hindustan Times, "West Bengal government issues notification to recruit 35,726 assistant teachers" (no date mentioned).