The Supreme Court has provided relief to the ‘eligible’ teachers who had lost their jobs. The West Bengal government and the SSC (School Service Commission) are also relieved. The ‘eligible’ teachers will be able to continue their jobs with salary until August 31, 2026. The Supreme Court has also extended the deadline for teacher recruitment in classes 9-10 and 11-12. The apex court instructed that the recruitment process should be completed by August 31, 2026, instead of the previous deadline of December 31, 2025. Which means the deadline has been extended by eight months.
The Supreme Court, after cancelling the entire 2016 panel, had instructed that the new recruitment process be completed by December 31 of this year. The School Service Commission started working accordingly. The exam results have already been published. The document verification process for classes 9-10 has begun, followed by interviews. Meanwhile, the merit list for classes 11-12 may be published in January.
However, according to the Supreme Court’s previous order, the employment of the eligible teachers who had lost their jobs was to end on December 31 of this year. If they stopped attending school from January, the teaching process in various government schools would practically collapse. Fearing this, the Education Department appealed to the Supreme Court for an eight-month extension of their employment and the recruitment deadline. In today’s hearing, the Supreme Court accepted the application and extended the deadline by eight months. The court also stated that the eligible teachers who had lost their jobs can continue working with their existing salary.
Students might be impacted due to absence of 13,000 teachers
The West Bengal Education Department argued while pleading for extending the deadline that the new academic year in the state’s schools would begin on January 1. The secondary examinations would start from February 2. There is also the fourth semester of higher secondary education. If 13,000 teachers stop attending school during this crucial period, it would have a significant impact on the education system.
Several other issues, including school examinations and the evaluation of secondary and higher secondary exam papers, are also involved. According to SSC sources, they will be able to send recommendation letters for classes 11-12 from January 16 at the earliest. For classes 9-10, that date is around the end of March. Considering all aspects, an application was made for an additional eight months. The Supreme Court granted permission for the same.
Following the verdict, Chinmoy Mandal, one of the teachers who lost their jobs, told media, “We don’t know what our future would be after the 31st. This verdict is a temporary relief. However, not all of the qualified individuals who lost their jobs have yet received calls for the new recruitment process.”
The petitioners’ lawyer, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, said, “We did not oppose extending the tenure of those who lost their jobs. But if this deadline is extended, the recruitment process will slow down. This was conveyed to the court. The court has given this verdict. Let’s see what happens.”