Kolkata: With the Calcutta High Court upholding the jobs of 32,000 primary teachers and recruitment of another 13,421 underway, the state School Education department is moving to integrate Class V in 2,338 more primary schools from 2026, signalling adequate staffing to support the expansion. The proposal has been placed before top officials for final approval.
The expansion is part of the phased plan to comply with the Right to Education Act, 2009. Bengal has about 50,000 primary schools. The transition began in 2019, and by early 2020, Class V had been introduced in 17,996 schools, leaving 32,169 to be upgraded. During a PIL hearing in July 2024, the government told the Calcutta High Court that the five-phase plan for transition would be completed by 2029.
In 2025, 2,335 schools added Class V. The department had initially planned to upgrade 1,775 schools in 2026 but raised the number to 2,338 after districts reported that more schools had the required infrastructure, including at least five classrooms.
Under the roadmap, the subsequent phases are set to integrate 2,966 schools in the third phase and 12,000 and 13,093 schools in the fourth and fifth phases.
Officials indicated these numbers may be revised as the current expansion exceeds earlier projections.
To support the shift, the department has started intra-district rationalisation of teachers after identifying a sharp imbalance between surplus and deficit posts. Data from the Banglar Siksha Portal dated September 11, 2025, show 23,145 surplus teachers in some schools and a deficit of 23,962 in others. District Primary School Councils (DPSC) have been told to move surplus teachers within districts to address shortages.
A senior official said rationalisation is intended to correct school-wise deficits, while recruitment of 13,421 primary teachers is underway to meet the overall shortfall.