The Crossbill News Desk
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (May 27) announced that a fresh notification for teacher recruitment will be issued by May 31, offering a glimmer of hope to thousands of school staff whose appointments were recently scrapped following a Supreme Court order.
Addressing the media amid mounting protests, Banerjee assured that candidates who lost their jobs will not be disqualified due to age.
“Age will not be a barrier. Those who lost their jobs will be allowed to appear for the exam, even if they have crossed the usual age limit,” the Chief Minister said, adding that their previous experience in the school system will also be given due weight.
Banerjee’s statement comes in the wake of massive protests across the state, after the Supreme Court on April 3 cancelled the appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff in state-aided schools.
The apex court termed the recruitment process, conducted under the School Service Commission (SSC), “vitiated and tainted.”
The Chief Minister reaffirmed the Trinamool Congress government’s commitment to both legal and administrative solutions.
“We want the teachers to get back their jobs. We have filed a review petition in the Supreme Court,” she said.
“At the same time, to meet the urgent staffing needs in schools, we will go ahead with the recruitment of new educators.”
Meanwhile, despite the assurance, many terminated teachers have expressed their unwillingness to sit for fresh recruitment exams, claiming they were unjustly punished for systemic failures.
“Why should untainted, qualified teachers suffer for irregularities committed by a few?” asked a terminated teacher affiliated with the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum.
“We qualified on our own merit in the 2016 SSC exams. The mirror OMR sheets can be used to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent candidates.”
The protesting teachers announced plans to take their agitation to the national capital to draw wider attention to their plight.
“The nation should know about this injustice,” the teacher said, indicating that demonstrations will continue both in Kolkata and Delhi.
As the standoff between the affected teachers and the government intensifies, all eyes remain on the Supreme Court’s decision on the review petition and the state’s handling of the fresh recruitment drive.
Addressing the media amid mounting protests, Banerjee assured that candidates who lost their jobs will not be disqualified due to age.
“Age will not be a barrier. Those who lost their jobs will be allowed to appear for the exam, even if they have crossed the usual age limit,” the Chief Minister said, adding that their previous experience in the school system will also be given due weight.
Banerjee’s statement comes in the wake of massive protests across the state, after the Supreme Court on April 3 cancelled the appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff in state-aided schools.
The apex court termed the recruitment process, conducted under the School Service Commission (SSC), “vitiated and tainted.”
The Chief Minister reaffirmed the Trinamool Congress government’s commitment to both legal and administrative solutions.
“We want the teachers to get back their jobs. We have filed a review petition in the Supreme Court,” she said.
“At the same time, to meet the urgent staffing needs in schools, we will go ahead with the recruitment of new educators.”
Meanwhile, despite the assurance, many terminated teachers have expressed their unwillingness to sit for fresh recruitment exams, claiming they were unjustly punished for systemic failures.
“Why should untainted, qualified teachers suffer for irregularities committed by a few?” asked a terminated teacher affiliated with the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum.
“We qualified on our own merit in the 2016 SSC exams. The mirror OMR sheets can be used to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent candidates.”
The protesting teachers announced plans to take their agitation to the national capital to draw wider attention to their plight.
“The nation should know about this injustice,” the teacher said, indicating that demonstrations will continue both in Kolkata and Delhi.
As the standoff between the affected teachers and the government intensifies, all eyes remain on the Supreme Court’s decision on the review petition and the state’s handling of the fresh recruitment drive.
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