Kolkata: The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on Tuesday began document verification for recruiting assistant teachers in classes XI-XII, calling 706 Bengali-subject candidates from both the freshers’ category and the untainted teachers of the 2016 cycle.
Many untainted teachers arrived despite severe personal constraints. Several brought infants under a month old, and a few heavily pregnant candidates reported as well. Suparna Pal of South 24-Parganas, who wrote the September exam at 8.5 months pregnant and delivered on October 13, attended with her newborn. Piyali Ghosh of Hooghly, carrying her baby under a month old, said: “Even after being called for verification, I cannot be sure of getting the job.”
Freshers spoke of their own struggles. Sanat Haldar, a specially-abled applicant from Murshidabad who walks with a stick, said the prolonged wait had left him with few options. “I am 38 now. If I do not get the job this time, I may have to accept it as fate.”
Both groups said they remained uncertain of the outcome. Untainted teachers demanded that all eligible candidates from 2016 be ensured jobs, while freshers feared losing marks in the classroom-demonstration round as many lack teaching experience. The verification process will continue until December 4, after which the Commission will publish the final region-wise interview list.
Meanwhile, protests intensified in Salt Lake. After Monday, fresh candidates again gathered there for a second day, alleging that even applicants with full or near-full scores in the written and academic components had been excluded from the preliminary interview list. Police detained them when they attempted to march from Karunamoyee to the WBSSC office, citing lack of permission.
At the same time, untainted teachers marched from Karunamoyee to Bikash Bhavan demanding an increase in vacancies. “We want up-to-date vacancies because many single-subject teachers are at risk. We also want the second verification list for classes XI-XII published at once, and the preliminary interview list for classes IX-X released without delay,” said Mehabub Mondal of the Jogya Shikshak Shikshika Adhikar Mancha.
Education minister Bratya Basu on Monday said the government was considering increasing vacancies, particularly to accommodate untainted teachers who cannot secure jobs through the current process.