WBSSC Set to Dispatch Teacher Appointment Letters from Late January
The West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBSSC) plans to start sending out recommendation letters to higher secondary assistant teacher candidates. This process will likely begin in the last week of January.
Recruitment Panel Expected Before January 22
The recruitment panel for these teaching positions is expected to be published before January 22. A school education department official confirmed this timeline.
The official stated, "The interviews for assistant teacher recruitment in 35 subjects at the higher secondary level have just been completed. We will publish the final panel around January 20 or 21. Since holidays follow that period, we expect to dispatch recommendation letters after the break. The appointment process should start before February."
Supreme Court Extends Recruitment Deadline
The Supreme Court had originally set a deadline of December 31 for completing the teachers' recruitment process. However, the state requested more time, leading the court to extend the deadline until August 31.
This extension came after multiple court cases caused delays in the fresh recruitment process, which began under Supreme Court guidelines.
Background on the Recruitment Crisis
On April 3, the Supreme Court cancelled the entire 2016 recruitment panel due to irregularities. This order resulted in 17,209 assistant teachers at secondary and higher secondary levels in state-run schools losing their jobs.
Group C and D staff appointed from the 2016 panel also lost their positions under the same order. These employees are still waiting for dates to take their written tests as part of the new recruitment process.
Secondary Level Recruitment Progress
The list of shortlisted candidates for the secondary level was published in December. An SSC official explained that verification for secondary-level appointments will begin right after the higher secondary recommendation letters go out.
There are currently 23,519 vacant teaching posts at the secondary level that need to be filled through this process.
Concerns from Affected Teachers
A dismissed teacher who participated in the recent interview shared concerns about colleagues who were not called back. "We are more concerned about those who lost their jobs and did not receive interview calls. The state should take action to help them," the teacher said.
This recruitment drive represents a critical effort to stabilize West Bengal's education system after the Supreme Court's cancellation of the previous panel.
