Candidates remain cautious as the SSC resumes counseling for 14,339 vacant teaching positions following court orders. After almost a decade of waiting, the School Service Commission (SSC) has finally resumed counseling for upper primary teacher recruitment following a directive from the Calcutta High Court. Despite attending interviews twice before without success, many candidates remain anxious as they attend the latest round of counseling, their concerns visibly reflected in their faces.
The SSC recently uploaded a list of 14,339 vacant upper primary teaching positions on its website, marking the beginning of the long-awaited recruitment process. The origin of this recruitment drive dates back to 2016 when an announcement was made to fill these positions. At that time, a merit list was released containing 14,052 candidates. However, in 2021, the commission re-evaluated the OMR sheets and eliminated 1,463 candidates, leading to several lawsuits filed by the excluded individuals.
For nearly eight years, this case has been tangled in legal complications, delaying the recruitment process. The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, addressed the issue on three separate occasions — in Singur in September 2016, at Nabanna in June 2021, and again in May 2023 — promising to resolve the matter and provide jobs to deserving candidates. Finally, in August 2023, the High Court cleared the obstacles, ordering the SSC to immediately issue appointment letters to the 14,052 listed candidates and include the 1,463 excluded individuals in a revised merit list.
Despite this breakthrough, many candidates remain uncertain about the outcome. Aradhana Choudhury, one of the job aspirants, expressed her apprehension, saying, “I have lost ten years of my career. I attended two rounds of counseling before, but nothing happened. This time, I’m hopeful, especially with the court’s intervention.”
Similarly, Sushanta Ghosh, another candidate who has been actively protesting, added, “The vacancy list for 14,339 positions was published on November 1, 2023. Counseling was conducted in November and December, but those who were selected found that many of the schools were reserved for SC candidates. In Birbhum alone, 680 schools had incorrect addresses. We hope the SSC will fix these issues, and this time we’ll finally see a resolution to the chaos.”
As the recruitment process moves forward, candidates eagerly await the final outcome, hoping to put an end to years of uncertainty and secure their long-awaited teaching positions.