Latest news with #WestBengalSchoolServiceCommission
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
35,726 teachers being recruited by West Bengal School Service Commission: Details
Almost. a month since the Supreme Court ruled that the previous recruitment of school teachers in West Bengal "vitiated and tainted," the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has released a new notification to appoint 35,726 teachers in state-aided late Thursday evening on the official website of the commission, the notice sets out the recruitment of 23,312 teachers for classes 9 and 10, and 12,514 teachers for classes 11 and 12 in secondary and higher secondary to the guidelines, candidates should be within the age group of 21 to 40 years. Relaxations in the upper age will be extended—5 years for SC/ST candidates, 3 years for OBC candidates, and 8 years for physically disabled candidates. Candidates will also be provided with carbon copies of their OMR sheets, which will be kept with them for a duration of three years. The web portal for application will be available from 5 pm on June 16 until 5 pm on June recruitment drive follows a Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, affirming an April 2024 Calcutta High Court order which had cancelled the earlier appointments of teachers and school court also ordered that the advertisement for fresh recruitment should be done by May 31 and the entire process be finalized by December a respite to the students and schools, the court had previously permitted teachers cleared by the CBI of any wrongdoings to continue service up to December-end to prevent additional disruption of the academic the issuance of the notification, the state government and WBSSC will have to file a compliance affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that the recruitment process has commenced as is a landmark moment in West Bengal's long-running school recruitment scandal and paves the way for one of the biggest hiring exercises in the state's education system.(WITH PTI INPUTS)Must Watch
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
What's the guarantee that the new recruitment will be fair, ask West Bengal's teachers
The protesting teachers of West Bengal, who recently lost their jobs over a 'vitiated and tainted' selection process, have questioned whether fresh recruitments would remain free of fraud, after the West Bengal government issued notifications for a new selection test. Despite certain relaxations specifically for the teachers who lost their jobs after a Supreme Court order on April 3, the teachers have stayed firm on their demand for their exemption from the new selection process. Also Read | Police detain teachers protesting against Bengal government's fresh recruitment notification The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) and the School Education Department of the West Bengal government published gazette notifications on May 30 for fresh appointments of assistant teachers in upper primary, secondary and higher secondary classes in State-run and State-aided schools. SC directive This followed a Supreme Court order directing the West Bengal government to complete fresh recruitments by the end of this year, after nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments were cancelled by the top court over widespread fraud in the 2016 hiring process. In the gazette notifications for this year's State Level Selection Test (SLST), the WBSSC and Education department have given an age relaxation for the 'sacked' teachers, as per the Supreme Court directive. The usual age limit is a minimum of 21 years and a maximum of 40 years as on January 1, 2025. Moreover, additional marks are being offered for prior teaching experience and lecture demonstration. While the written examination carries a weightage of 60 marks, an additional weightage of 10 marks each has been given to prior teaching experience and lecture demonstration, for candidates of classes 9 to 12. It is worth noting that the teachers, now on protest, were appointed in 2019, accounting for around seven years of teaching experience. However, this has not brought any comfort to the protesting teachers. 'It is surprising that the WBSSC and the West Bengal government, which were accused of widespread fraud in the 2016 recruitments, have once again been delegated the task of carrying out fresh recruitments. What guarantee do we have that there will not be any corruption this time?' Shubhojit Das, a protesting teacher of the Jogyo Shikkhok Shikkhika Adhikar Mancha asked. 'No fair competition' Highlighting the Supreme Court directive that allowed the 'sacked teachers' to hold their current jobs till December 31, he said that juggling work with preparations would put them at a disadvantage if they were to appear for this year's SLST. 'Even if we agreed to a re-examination, this is not a fair competition by any means. We are expected to prepare for SLST while simultaneously working and performing our existing teaching duties,' Mr. Das told The Hindu. Also the syllabus for the written examination is different from what they taught in schools. BJP legislator Abhijit Gangopadhyay called the fresh recruitment 'discriminatory' owing to the additional marks being given for prior teaching experience. 'The government's notification was for all candidates, including those who will be appearing without any prior teaching experience. But out of the 10 marks, they will not get any marks in that segment and will fall behind in a competitive examination. This will keep happening in their following attempts… I do not understand the reason behind this discrimination,' Mr. Gangopadhyay said. The BJP MP from West Bengal's Tamluk had ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff by the WBSSC and West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in 2022, during his tenure as a Calcutta High Court judge.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
West Bengal govt to recruit 35,726 assistant teachers after SC order
The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on Thursday issued a notification for the recruitment of 35,726 assistant teachers in state-aided and government-sponsored schools. The move comes as part of compliance with the Supreme Court's directive to begin the hiring process by May 31. According to the notification issued late on Thursday on the WBSSC's official website, the recruitment drive includes: 23,212 posts for classes 9 and 10 12,514 posts for classes 11 and 12 Age criteria and relaxation The eligible age for applicants is between 21 and 40 years. However, the notification specifies age relaxations as follows: 'Upper age limit is, however, relaxable by 5 years for scheduled caste/scheduled tribe candidates, 3 years for backward class candidates, and 8 years for physically handicapped candidates,' the notice said. Application and examination schedule Application window: June 16 to July 14 Written examination: First week of September Candidates will receive carbon copies of their OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) sheets. Meanwhile, WBSSC will retain scanned copies of these sheets for 10 years. Preparation of merit list The commission will prepare merit panels based on the candidates' performance in the written test, oral interview, and lecture demonstration. The panels will be organised by subject, medium of instruction, gender, and category. These will be published on the official website. Subject to court review Referring to the Supreme Court's judgment on April 3 and the subsequent order on April 17, the commission said: 'The commission and government of West Bengal have already applied for review of the said judgment and order and this exercise is strictly subject to the outcome of the review petition and guidelines of the Hon'ble court to be followed by the commission and the government.' The notice clarified: 'The notification is being issued for conducting the 2nd State Level Selection Test (SLST) for posts of assistant teachers for classes 9 and 10 in government-aided, government-sponsored secondary and higher secondary schools, and to the posts of assistant teachers for classes 11 and 12 in government-aided, government-sponsored higher secondary schools.' It further emphasised that the process is being carried out 'Strictly without prejudice to the rights and contention of the state, commission and the Board in their pending review petitions in the SC and without intending to create any empathy or right to any party who may choose to participate in the process.' The commission also retained the right to alter the recruitment process: 'The commission reserves its right to cancel, withdraw, rescind or amend the selection process or the terms and conditions thereof at any time hereafter without assigning any reason,' it said. Protests continue despite notification Members of the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum, whose earlier appointments were invalidated, expressed dissatisfaction with the announcement. Spokesperson Mehboob Mandal said: 'This notice offers nothing new. Preparing for a fresh exam at such short notice is unrealistic. We are not ready to go through this trauma again.' Another forum leader, Chinmoy Mondal, said, 'Our protests will continue and intensify in the coming days.' Background of court ruling The recruitment drive follows the Supreme Court's ruling on April 3, where a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld an earlier Calcutta High Court decision. The court had nullified the appointments of teachers and staff in government and aided schools, calling the process 'vitiated and tainted.' On April 17, the court allowed teachers found untainted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to continue working until December 31, noting the negative impact of large-scale terminations on school education. The Supreme Court directed that the new recruitment advertisement be issued by May 31 and the entire process, including the examination, be completed by December 31. The state government was asked to submit a compliance affidavit confirming the start of the recruitment process by the end of May. (With PTI inputs)
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Jobless after Supreme Court verdict, Bengal teacher dies amid protests
A sacked school teacher in West Bengal, affected by the fallout of the SSC recruitment scam, has died of a stroke, triggering fresh outrage among the protesters. Prabir Karmakar, 34, a former English teacher, was among those who lost his job after the Supreme Court annulled 25,753 school appointments made through the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in who used to teach at Amuipara Udbastu Vidyapith in Murshidabad, passed away late Wednesday night at his residence in Raghunathganj. Protesters said Karmakar was battling kidney-related issues and was in severe mental distress after losing his job. They claimed the anxiety surrounding his medical treatment and uncertain future led to his protesting teachers alleged that they have been completely ignored by both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, despite weeks of demonstrations. The forum Yogyo Shikshak Shikshika Odhikar Mancha, which has been leading demonstrations demanding the reinstatement of qualified teachers, released a statement blaming the state's handling of the issue for Karmakar's the rising tensions, the state government on Friday officially published a gazette notification to initiate a fresh round of SSC examination, setting in motion the process for new teacher recruitments."Karmakar was unable to cope with the stress caused by the cancellation of the appointment panel and the ongoing political indecision... the Chief Minister's recent suggestion of re-testing dismissed teachers only intensified the emotional burden, which many were already carrying," a protester, Chinmoy Mondal in the day, nearly 50 jobless teachers were detained at two locations while they were on their way to the West Bengal state secretariat to stage a group had assembled to demand the permanent reinstatement of eligible teachers, opposing the state's directive to retake recruitment Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the West Bengal government of destroying the state's education system and betraying thousands. In response, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of hypocrisy and alleged that corruption was far more rampant in BJP-ruled Watch
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
WBSSC issues notice for recruitment of over 35,726 school teachers
The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has issued a notice for the recruitment of 35,726 teachers of classes 9-10 and 11-12 at state-aided schools, abiding by the Supreme Court directive to issue notification by May 31. As per the notice, uploaded on the WBSSC site on late Thursday night, there will be recruitment of 23,312 teachers for classes 9-10 and 12,514 teachers for classes 11-12 in the secondary and higher secondary schools respectively. In a significant clause, the notice stipulated the age limit from 21 years-40 years. "Upper age limit is, however, relaxable by 5 years for scheduled caste/scheduled tribe candidates, 3 years for backward class candidates and 8 years for physically handicapped candidates," the notice said. Candidates will be given carbon copies of OMR sheets which will be preserved for three years. The online applications will be received from June 16, 5 pm till June 17, 5 pm, it said. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, on April 3, upheld the Calcutta High Court verdict of April 22, 2024, invalidating the appointment of teachers and staffers in the state-run and aided schools, terming the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted". On April 17, the top court extended till December 31 the services of the terminated teachers found untainted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after taking note of the state government's submissions that the mass terminations have adversely impacted teaching in the schools. The Supreme Court said the advertisement for fresh recruitment will be published on or before May 31 and the entire process including the examination will be completed by December 31 this year. The court asked the state government and its West Bengal School Service Commission to file a compliance affidavit on the initiation of the recruitment process on or before May 31.
