Minister: Govt to follow SC's school jobs verdict

Kolkata

The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) announced on Friday that it will comply with the Supreme Court’s order to conduct fresh exams for all teaching and non-teaching posts from the 2016 recruitment drive, which has now been declared invalid.

Speaking to the source a day after the Supreme Court cancelled 25,752 appointments in government and government-aided schools, WBSSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said the commission would begin the new selection process soon. However, they will first seek legal advice to clarify whether fresh candidates can also apply alongside those who took the 2016 exam.

In 2016, about 26 lakh candidates applied, and 22 lakh appeared. This included nearly 1.41 lakh aspirants for Classes 9-10 and around 1.5 lakh for Classes 11-12 teaching roles. The remaining candidates had applied for non-teaching posts.

Majumdar clarified that, due to the sheer number of candidates, completing the process within three months is unlikely. There is no such time limit mentioned in the court’s order, he said. The Supreme Court criticized WBSSC for failing to prevent irregularities and upheld previous findings of illegal practices in the recruitment process. Majumdar added that the commission had submitted relevant data, though it couldn’t convince the court.

A day after the Supreme Court cancelled nearly 26,000 SSC appointments, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu said the state will follow the court’s directions. He acknowledged the court’s reference to tainted candidates and added that legal advice will guide the next steps. He backed deserving candidates’ cause.