Hummingbird News Desk
KOLKATA, 21 JUNE: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said her government has decided to appoint more than 32,000 teachers for upper primary and primary levels by March next year to improve the education system in the state.
“All recruitments will be based on merit. There is no need for lobbying. Those who cleared their written exams will be eligible for recruitment and merit will be the sole criteria during appointment. The recruitments had been stalled as court cases were on. Now, we will go ahead with the recruitment. A total of 24,500 teachers will be appointed this year before Durga Puja and another 7,500 teachers will be appointed within March 2022,” said Miss Banerjee at a press conference.
It may be mentioned here that candidates who had qualified the eligibility tests had gone for several rounds of agitation demanding jobs. Prior to the polls, Miss Banerjee had assured to look into the matter.
The Calcutta high court had in February ordered an interim stay on the recruitment process following petitions filed by job aspirants who alleged discrepancies after their names did not feature on the merit list issued by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE).
The high court later directed the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBCSSC) to ensure that deserving candidates are not left out and the recruitment process is conducted transparently.
The Calcutta high court, which initially asked the Commission to publish the interview list by May 10, had allowed them some time in view of the ongoing COVID pandemic.
Announcing that Bengal has bagged six out of 10 positions in skill competition, Miss Banerjee today formed a committee headed by former chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay to provide suggestions on increasing avenues for providing more skill based training to students and arrange placements for them. Mr Bandopadhyay has been asked to submit a report in this connection within 15 days.
