Kolkata: The state Education department has decided to simplify the process of recruitment by the School Service Commission (SSC), which is responsible for recruitment of assistant teachers in the state.
The Education department has also constituted a five-member committee to look into the demands of the SSC candidates, who have been staging demonstrations near the Kolkata Press Club for the past 23 days.
"We have come across certain complexities associated with the recruitment process by School Service Commission. I have instructed officials in the department to review the process and simplify it as far as possible," state Education minister Partha Chatterjee said after meeting a representative of agitating candidates at his office in Bikash Bhavan on Friday.
It may be mentioned here that there are four steps involved in the interview of the candidates before being finally selected. The department wants to bring it down to two.
"The recruitment process of the teachers has been marred by several litigations. These litigations have come up due to the complex nature of recruitment rules. We want to hold the examination at least once in a year and for this purpose the simplification of recruitment rules is necessary," a senior official of the state Education department said.
The department officials while framing the rules will consider the weightage of marks secured by candidates in the Higher Secondary and the marks in the SSC examination. According to sources, since 2011 the recruitment process can be carried out only twice.
The five member-committee led by secretary of School Education department Manish Jain will take into account the demands of the agitating student and will submit a report to Chatterjee in 15 days. Then, the minister will again hold a meeting with the agitating candidates.
"Our government is sympathetic towards their issue and we will try to come up with a solution under the ambit of law. Their names figure in the waiting list and they should understand that they are not part of the panel," a senior official of the department said.
Earlier, Chatterjee had met the candidates at his office on March 6 and after being informed of their demands, he had assured them that those having the requisite qualification would get call for interview in due course. Chatterjee had also sought a report from the SSC regarding these candidates.
The agitating SSC candidates, who alleged not being recruited as teachers in classes IX to XII despite having the requisite qualifications, had first met the minister on March 2.
These are the candidates, who had written the SSC exams in 2013 and 2017 and had subsequently qualified the examination, are on the waiting list for recruitment.
They are demanding that recruitments should be made against numerous vacant seats across schools in Bengal.
They are in the waiting list for post of assistant teachers in high school, and for the posts of work and physical education teachers. The agitating students vowed to continue the stir unless there were some concrete assurances about filling up vacancies in the state-run schools.