State to hold repeated counselling to fill declared vacancies: Minister

Kolkata: The state government aims to conduct repeated counselling sessions to fill the declared vacancies in the upper primary teachers’ recruitment, announced state Education minister Bratya Basu on Tuesday.

Minister Basu wrote on his X handle: “The Chief Minister’s goodwill had been endorsed by the Kolkata High Court. The WBSSC has called over 8,500 candidates for counselling, handing over recommendation letters to more than 6,500 prospective teachers. Our goal is to fill the declared vacancies quickly through repeated counselling with complete transparency and honesty. Let our steps be a promise to build a brighter Bengal.” He also praised the WBSSC for efficiently conducting the counselling process. Additionally, upper primary candidates raised concerns about some District Inspectors of Schools (DIs) creating problems for candidates joining over minor issues, such as spelling errors in recommendation letters. Basu assured: “We are giving a clear message to the DIs that new teachers should not face unnecessary hurdles when joining. If any directive from the department is needed, we will issue one.” Another issue was resolved on Tuesday when the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) instructed the district inspectors (DIs) of schools to appoint administrators for aided or non-aided schools whose Managing Committees’ tenure expired before 2022. This directive excludes schools involved in court matters.

Furthermore, WBBSE clarified that no extension of tenure will be granted for Managing Committees whose terms expired before 2022. For government-sponsored schools where the Managing Committees were nominated before 2022 and continue to operate through extension, administrators should be appointed promptly. All DIs have been instructed to submit a comprehensive report on the administrative status of schools within their jurisdiction within 10 working days.