First-time SSC aspirants stage rally in Kolkata, demanding equality in interview selection criteria

Kolkata: Around 500 teaching job aspirants, who appeared as freshers in the recent exam conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission, took out a procession in the city on Thursday, demanding that they not be left out of the interview panel after scoring 100 per cent marks in the written test.

Members of the 'Fresher SSC Candidates Forum', who planned to march from College Square to the West Bengal Assembly, were stopped at Subodh Mallick Square in central Kolkata by police personnel, and they vowed not to leave the street till their demand is met.

Due to security issues, no such gatherings or demonstrations are allowed near the assembly premises. "We will not move from the demand that no 10 grace marks be given to old SSC candidates who appeared for tests this time.

They had been teachers for years after qualifying in the 2016 SLST (State Level Selection Test), and we have no qualms that they appeared for the recently conducted 2025 SLST tests on September 11 for the post of assistant teachers for classes 11-12 in state-aided schools. But why should they be given 10 grace marks?" Prabuddha Maity, a protesting candidate, said.

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The Supreme Court had, in April, cancelled the appointment of nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff recruited through the 2016 SLST for classes 9-12, and directed the authorities to complete fresh recruitment by December 31.

Chaitali Mukherjee, another fresher candidate who qualified in the 2025 SLST test for the post of assistant teachers in classes 11 and 12, but did not figure in the interview panel, said, "We also demand creation of one lakh posts by the government at the earliest." The WBSSC announced an interview panel for 12,500 vacant posts of assistant teacher for classes 11-12 in the last week of November.

Those who figured in the panel have all qualified in the 2025 SLST written exams conducted in September. The forum is consulting legal experts about future moves to fulfil their demands.