School Jobs Scam: Teachers who lost jobs write to CM, assembly Speaker to discussion their issue

NEW DELHI: A section of teachers in West Bengal, who lost their jobs after a Supreme Court order, have written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Speaker Biman Banerjee, urging them to discuss and address their issue on the last day of the special session of the Assembly on September 4. They have also urged them to convene an all-party meeting to find out a possible way forward.

The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) would hold teacher recruitment exams on September 7 for classes 9-10 and on September 14 for classes 11-12. On an order of the top court, the SSC on Saturday published a list of 1,806 ‘tainted’ candidates who gained appointments in schools , allegedly through fraudulent means, from the 2016 panel and have been disqualified from taking a fresh test . Those deemed "eligible" were also asked to retake the examination, a decision that a section of the affected candidates opposes.

Teachers seek meeting with CM and speaker

In a video message on behalf of the teachers who have lost their jobs, Suman Biswas stated, “Talking to the chief minister and the Speaker might help arrive at a possible resolution. We have written to the CM and the Speaker to call a session tomorrow for a discussion on our matter." When contacted, Speaker Biman Banerjee told PTI that he is yet to receive any official communication regarding this matter.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed petitions challenging the publication of a list of “tainted candidates” for West Bengal government-sponsored and aided school jobs as per a Supreme Court direction. Appointments of nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools were annulled by the Supreme Court in April on grounds that the recruitment process was “tainted and vitiated” beyond redemption.