WBSSC likely to miss Jan 7 deadline for XI–XII merit List

Kolkata: The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) is unlikely to publish the merit list for recruitment of teachers for Classes XI–XII by January 7, 2026, while document verification for Classes IX–X, scheduled to begin in late December, may be pushed into the new year, officials

said on Friday.

The January 7 deadline for the Class XI–XII merit list had been stated by the commission in an affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court during hearings related to the extension of service of ‘untainted’ teachers appointed through the 2016 recruitment process. Officials said the timeline has since become unworkable following subsequent legal directions.

The delay stems from a December 16 order of the Calcutta High Court, which directed the WBSSC to give another opportunity to candidates who failed to update their category details within the prescribed time and to conduct fresh document verification and interviews for those applicants.

In compliance with the order, the commission reopened its application portal for 24 hours, allowing candidates to update their category details until 8.30 pm on December 17. Around 150 candidates applied during this window, all of whom are petitioners in the case.

WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said the commission must complete verification and interviews of these candidates before publishing the merit list.

Officials said verification and interviews of these additional candidates may begin on December 29. The process is expected to take time, as the candidates belong to different subjects across 35 subjects, necessitating separate expert committees for interviews and lecture demonstrations.

The delay in the Class XI–XII recruitment process is also expected to affect recruitment for Classes IX–X. Document verification for IX–X teachers, scheduled to begin from December 29, will now be deferred. WBSSC officials said verification for Classes IX–X would commence only after completion of the XI–XII interviews and publication of the corresponding merit list, as the two verification processes cannot be conducted simultaneously.

In its affidavit before the Supreme Court, the commission stated that the merit list for recruitment of teachers for Classes IX–X would be published by March 31, 2026. An SSC official said efforts were being made to adhere to that deadline despite the delays.