Jalpaiguri initiates recruitment of 139 teachers to address shortage in over 400 schools

Jalpaiguri: According to the list sent by the State Board of Primary Education, the Jalpaiguri District Primary School Council (DPSC) has initiated the recruitment process for 139 new teachers. Appointment letters will be issued after counseling based on that list on February 8. However, before that, the preparation of the list of schools, facing a shortage of teachers, started on Tuesday.

Laiksha Mohan Roy, Chairman of DPSC, stated: “Among the 139 teachers whose names have been sent, there are 5 Hindi and 9 Nepali medium teachers. However, there will still be many vacancies. It is hoped that the vacant posts will be filled soon.” Jalpaiguri district has 1299 primary schools in Bengali, Hindi, and Nepali medium, with 118,000 primary students this year. Government rules mandate one teacher per 30 students, but over 400 teacher positions are vacant in 1,208 primary schools.

According to DPSC sources, the council had requested for 400 teachers, but only 139 teachers have been provided. Naturally, even after the new recruitment, many teacher positions will remain vacant in different schools. However, schools having only one teacher will be given priority. There are approximately 35 such schools in the district. After that, the newly recruited teachers will be assigned to other schools.