Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 8 FEB: Against the backdrop of mounting uncertainty in West Bengal’s school education system, a teachers’ convention organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Krishnagar North organisational district on Sunday turned into a sharp indictment of what speakers described as the state government’s “systematic neglect” of education. Held at Nagendranagar’s S R Anvilla, the convention brought together more than a hundred teachers, educationists and party workers, blending political critique with professional anguish.
The meet was attended by Prof Dr Pankaj Roy, former convener of the BJP’s state teachers’ cell, Bimal Shankar Nanda, current convener of the BJP state IT cell, and Arjun Kumar Biswas, president of the BJP Krishnagar North organisational district, along with several senior party leaders.
In his opening remarks, Prof Roy alleged that the education sector in Bengal was “passing through one of its darkest phases,” marked by a severe shortage of teachers and headmasters across government-run schools. He said hundreds of institutions were struggling to function normally as key posts remained vacant for years, directly affecting academic standards and administrative discipline.
Speakers repeatedly referred to the controversy surrounding alleged cash-for-jobs recruitment in schools, pointing out that many teachers who had secured appointments through irregular processes were now facing job losses, leaving students and schools in limbo. “It is not just a question of corruption; it is a human tragedy where careers have been destroyed and classrooms left without teachers,” one speaker noted.
Bimal Shankar Nanda criticised what he termed the government’s “policy paralysis” in resolving the crisis, arguing that repeated court interventions and delayed corrective measures had only deepened mistrust within the teaching community. Arjun Kumar Biswas, addressing the gathering, called upon teachers to “raise their voices collectively” against what he described as misgovernance and a distorted education policy that prioritised politics over pedagogy.
The convention also had a reflective note, with former teachers being felicitated for their contribution to the education sector. The organisers said the gesture was meant to underline the dignity of the teaching profession at a time when, according to them, it was being undermined by administrative failures.
The meet concluded with a call for sustained protests and awareness campaigns, urging teachers and citizens alike to stand up against what the BJP leaders described as a flawed and corrupt education system, and to work towards restoring credibility and stability in Bengal’s schools.
