WBSSC publishes interview list: 40K candidates for 23,212 IX–X vacancies

Kolkata: The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on Friday published the preliminary interview list for assistant teacher recruitment in classes IX-X, featuring nearly 40,000 names for about 23,212 vacancies. Though the list offers relief to a section of “untainted” teachers, including those left out of the classes XI-XII recruitment process, several such candidates failed to make the list. 

The list, prepared on the basis of marks from prior experience, the written test held on September 7 and academic qualifications, will be followed by document verification, with the schedule to be announced later. Its publication has triggered anxiety among many of the 15,403 “untainted” teachers who were allowed to remain in service till December 31, 2025, after the Supreme Court cancelled nearly 26,000 appointments of teachers and non-teaching staff made through the 2016 recruitment.

“Untainted” teachers said several who were not called for verification and interview in the XI–XII cycle have again found their names missing from the IX–X list. State Education minister Bratya Basu said the government would consider their situation once the ongoing recruitment process is completed. “If only a handful of untainted candidates remain at the end, their cases will be viewed positively and sympathetically,” he said.

“I have already had a round of discussions with the Chief Minister and she is quite concerned. The matter is sub judice, so I cannot speak in full, but they should regain their rightful recognition as qualified candidates. Our government is very hopeful about this, and this will happen.”

Meanwhile, the WBSSC has moved the Supreme Court seeking additional time to complete the recruitment process, filing an affidavit as the court-mandated December 31 deadline approaches. A senior SSC official said interviews for the XI–XII cycle were almost complete and about a fortnight’s extension would be needed, while the IX–X process, for which the preliminary interview list was published on Friday, would take around three more months.

Basu said he was aware the Commission was set to approach the court. “If they cannot complete the recruitment by December 31, they will seek some extra time. Since transparency and merit are the SSC’s priorities, they will decide how much time they need.” “Untainted” teachers said the exclusion of many candidates could push them out of service permanently. Brindaban Ghosh, a Bengali teacher and leader of Jogya Shikshak Shikshika Adhikar Mancha, who was not listed in XI–XII but appears in IX–X, said: “Many have reached an age where they cannot sit for other examinations. If they are not called now, the government must take responsibility for their livelihoods, as the panel was cancelled because of the government’s and the Commission’s actions, not ours.”

With Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examinations scheduled in February, questions remain over whether an extension will be sought for the tenure of “untainted” teachers if recruitment continues beyond the deadline.

“This is a technical matter,” Basu said. “The bureaucrats in our department are aware of the situation and will proceed after due discussion.”