West Bengal teachers protest over stalled recruitment process
Counselling scheduled for Aug. 14 adjourned ‘until further notice’; ‘untainted’ teachers reappeared for fresh recruitment process after their appointments were scrapped by SC over ‘irregularities’
Teachers who were not included in the initial West Bengal school recruitment faced renewed protests on August 12 in Kolkata. This came after the counselling process for their reappointment was indefinitely postponed following a new recruitment process ordered by the Supreme Court. Some of these "untainted" teachers had previously proven their qualifications twice, reappearing for the 2025 recruitment after their 2016 appointments were scrapped due to irregularities.
The latest development has left them in a state of uncertainty. The West Bengal Central School Service Commission announced on August 11 that the counselling process for candidates under the 2025 State Level Selection Test for Assistant Teachers, Classes XI-XII, scheduled to begin on August 14, has been adjourned until further notice.
This has left many candidates who had already appeared for counselling and others awaiting their turn in a state of limbo. The reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) candidates has also been reduced from 17% to 7%, despite the examination being held in September 2025 under the previous reservation rules. This reduction has added a new layer of complexity to the recruitment process.
Suvendu Adhikari, the previous Chief Minister, had promised to restore the jobs of these teachers and staff members, but the new government has introduced this new rule mid-hiring process. Mehboob Mondal, a leader of the Joggya Sikkhak Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha, a forum representing these teachers, has criticized this development and urged Adhikari to keep his promise.
In 2025, the "untainted" teachers held months-long protests in Kolkata, demanding the restoration of their jobs, and several protesters faced police action during these demonstrations. They had repeatedly appealed to the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court for the restoration of their jobs, arguing that no investigation found evidence of corruption against them.
Despite these appeals, the courts did not restore their appointments and directed the State to conduct a fresh recruitment process, requiring the "untainted" candidates to appear for the examination again.
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