Since June 16, nearly 50K apply for assistant teacher posts across state

Kolkata: Nearly 50,000 candidates have already submitted applications for the recruitment of 35,726 assistant teachers in state-aided and sponsored schools across West Bengal, according to the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

Officials anticipate that the total number of applications will reach five lakh by the time the online application window closes on July 14. So far, over 60,000 aspirants have registered on the portal, which was launched on the night of June 16.

The portal, however, faced a temporary suspension on June 21 and 22 following an interim stay by the Calcutta High Court on the preparation of the OBC list in the state.

In response, the commission suspended category-wise data collection and resumed the application process on June 23. “During the last selection cycle, around 2.9 lakh candidates appeared for teaching posts in the Class IX-X and Class XI-XII categories,” said a senior WBSSC official. “This time, we expect a bigger turnout, close to five lakh, as many B.Ed-qualified candidates from the past 8-9 years have been waiting due to the prolonged recruitment gap.”

While acknowledging the slow start, officials said application numbers have been rising steadily since the portal reopened, and they anticipate a sharp increase in the final days.

“The initial confusion around OBC reservations may have discouraged some,” the official added.

“But in previous recruitment drives, a majority of candidates have applied closer to the deadline. We expect the same trend to continue.”