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Bengal School Scandal: 269 'Tainted' Teachers Qualify for Interviews

The West Bengal School Service Commission has uncovered a major breach in the fresh teacher recruitment process. Despite a Supreme Court ban, 269 teachers from the cancelled 2016 panel managed to qualify for interviews in the new recruitment. These tainted candidates exploited a new weightage system that awarded marks for past teaching experience. The Calcutta High Court is now questioning how the commission distinguishes between tainted and untainted teachers from the original panel.

Key Points: Bengal School Job Case 269 Tainted Teachers Interview Qualified

  • Supreme Court cancelled entire 2016 panel and banned tainted teachers from fresh recruitment
  • Tainted teachers exploited 10-mark weightage for past teaching experience
  • WBSSC reviewed interview-qualified candidates and identified 269 tainted teachers
  • Calcutta High Court questions basis for determining untainted teacher eligibility
  • Commission rejected candidature of all identified tainted teachers
  • Hearing continues with state government and WBSSC arguments due December 1
2 min read

Bengal school job case: 269 'tainted' teachers qualified for interview in fresh recruitment

WBSSC identifies 269 teachers from cancelled 2016 panel who qualified for fresh recruitment interviews despite Supreme Court ban on tainted candidates.

"Justice Sinha raised the critical question on the basis on which WBSSC will determine which candidates will be eligible for the 10-mark weightage criterion - Calcutta High Court"

Kolkata, Nov 29

The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has identified as many as 269 "tainted" teachers from the commission's panel for 2016 who not only appeared for the fresh recruitment of primary teachers but also qualified for the interview.

In April this year, a division bench of the Supreme Court cancelled WBSSC's entire panel for 2016 and barred the "tainted" teachers, who were proved beyond doubt of securing teaching jobs in state-run schools by paying money, from participating in the fresh recruitment process.

A petition was filed at the Calcutta High Court recently alleging that some "tainted" teachers not only participated in the written examination for fresh recruitment of higher secondary teachers in September this year but also qualified for the interview.

These "tainted" teachers, WBSSC sources said, got interview-qualified by taking advantage of the new weightage criterion, carrying 10 marks for past teaching experience.

The commission, thereafter, reviewed the background of the interview-qualified candidate and identified the 269 "tainted" teachers from the 2016 panel who qualified for the interview.

The commission had rejected the candidature of these 269 "tainted" teachers for the fresh recruitment process.

However, WBSSC sources said that even this list, if not final, and in the future, if more such interview-qualified "tainted" teachers are identified, their candidatures would also be cancelled.

On Friday, while hearing on the petition filed in the matter, Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha questioned the basis on which WBSSC determined the "untainted" teachers from the commission's 2016 panel, which would be deemed eligible for participation in the fresh recruitment of secondary and higher secondary teachers this year.

Justice Sinha raised the critical question on the basis on which WBSSC will determine which candidates will be eligible for the 10-mark weightage criterion for past teaching experience.

She also said that, apparently, it seemed that several eligible candidates were deprived of participating in the fresh recruitment process because of new rules introduced in the fresh recruitment process.

However, her bench did not give any specific direction on the matter.

The next date of hearing will be on December 1, when the counsels of the state government and WBSSC will present their arguments in the matter.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good that WBSSC caught them this time. But the bigger question is - why were they allowed to appear in the first place? The Supreme Court had clearly barred them. System needs to be more vigilant from the beginning itself.
A
Arjun K
Justice Sinha is asking the right questions. How can we give weightage for "teaching experience" that was gained through illegal means? This is like rewarding criminals for their crimes. The system needs complete overhaul.
S
Sarah B
While I agree corruption must be punished, I wonder if some genuinely qualified candidates might be getting caught in this mess. The process should be fair to everyone - both to prevent corruption and protect honest candidates.
V
Vikram M
This is why our education system is suffering. When teachers themselves get jobs through corruption, what values will they teach our children? Strict action needed, no second chances for these people. 🙏
K
Kavya N
The fact that 269 tainted teachers qualified for interviews shows how deeply entrenched this corruption is. Hope the December 1 hearing brings some clarity and justice for the deserving candidates who lost opportunities because of these frauds.

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