Teacher recruitment: SSC releases merit list of 13K+ candidates

Kolkata: Following the Calcutta High Court’s (HC) order, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) published the Merit List for the recruitment of Assistant Teachers (AT) at the upper primary level in state government-aided and sponsored schools on Wednesday.

Commenting on the development, state Education minister Bratya Basu said: “Very good news for the candidates before Puja. Best wishes to all.” Siddhartha Majumder, chairman of WBSSC, stated: “We have published the provisional panel and waiting list. The schedule for the first phase of counselling will be announced soon, and the process will begin before Puja.” The notification regarding the counselling schedule is expected on Thursday or Friday.

A total of 14,339 vacancies exist at the upper primary level, excluding the 10 per cent seats reserved for Para teachers. The High Court directed that the merit list be prepared, including a total of 14,052 candidates who appeared in the personality test (PT). However, among the 14,052 candidates, approximately 96 were excluded from the merit list due to irregularities in their caste category certificates or educational qualifications. Another 10 candidates were included following court orders, resulting in a final merit list of around 13,966 candidates. Nearly 9,000 of them are in the panel, while the remainder are in the waiting list. Candidates can check their status on the commission’s website.

The upper primary recruitment process has faced legal challenges for nearly a decade. The offline notification for the Upper Primary Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) was issued in 2014, followed by an online notification in 2015.

The exam took place on August 16, 2015, and results were published in 2016. Due to alleged irregularities, the merit panel was cancelled by a single-bench of the Calcutta High Court in 2020. The recruitment process was restarted in compliance with the court’s order. A previous panel of 13,339 candidates was published, and counselling was held, but it was nullified by the HC’s order on August 28.

On that date, the Division Bench, comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, directed the WBSSC to prepare and publish the final merit list, including previously excluded candidates, within four weeks. The court also instructed the commission to conduct fresh counselling for the 14,052 candidates and to recommend them within four weeks of publishing the final merit list.