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5 lakh applications for 35,726 teacher vacancies in West Bengal schools

5 lakh applications for 35,726 teacher vacancies in West Bengal schools

India Today18-07-2025
More than 5 lakh aspirants have applied for 35,726 assistant teacher posts in West Bengal's state-run and state-aided schools, according to the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). The application portal, which opened on June 16, was initially set to close on July 14 but has now been extended to July 21.This large-scale recruitment comes in the wake of a major overhaul following a Supreme Court directive. In April, the apex court annulled the entire 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST) panel and cancelled the appointments of 25,753 candidates, including teachers for Classes 9 to 12 and Group C and D staff.advertisementSpeaking in response to the fresh recruitment drive, WBSSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said the application numbers have already crossed the 5 lakh mark, and are likely to increase further in the coming days.
The WBSSC had issued the recruitment notification on May 30, following the Supreme Court's instruction to begin the hiring process. The state was also directed to submit a compliance affidavit by May 31.Back in 2016, the commission received applications from over 3 lakh candidates for similar teaching posts, another official confirmed.Post the court's ruling in April, the WBSSC reviewed the status of those appointed in 2016. It found that 15,403 of the 17,206 teachers were not directly implicated in malpractice and allowed them to continue drawing salaries until December. However, 1,804 teachers were barred from returning to the classroom.The WBSSC clarified that the current recruitment drive is being conducted in compliance with the court's orders and remains subject to the outcome of the review petition filed by both the commission and the state government. The Calcutta High Court has also recently turned down the state's plea to allow ineligible candidates from the previous panel to reapply.Reacting to the developments, Chinmoy Mondal of the 'Deserving Teachers' Rights Forum' expressed concerns about the pace of the fresh hiring. 'Many of those who cleared the 2016 exams are now seeing their former students apply for the same posts,' he said. He argued that the commission should have focused on making a solid legal case for the untainted candidates rather than rushing into a new process.Mondal also demanded greater transparency, suggesting that the state should have published a verified list of clean candidates or released the OMR sheets publicly, given that the matter is still under judicial review.(With PTI inputs)- EndsMust Watch
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