The submission of forms for the recruitment test to appoint teachers in government-aided schools ended on Monday, with 5.8 lakh applications received.
The application window, originally open from June 16 to July 14, was extended by a week by the school service commission (SSC).
An SSC official said around 3 lakh candidates had applied in 2016, the last time the test was held. “A recruitment test is being held after a gap of nine years,” the official said.
On offer are 35,267 teaching posts at the secondary and higher secondary levels of government-aided schools.
The high number of applicants reflects the acute scarcity of secure jobs in the state.
“In Bengal, where jobs are scarce, teaching has been a major source of employment. The nine-year gap explains the surge in applications,” the official added.
The application deadline coincided with the Supreme Court’s upholding of the Calcutta High Court’s order to conduct the selection tests under rules drafted in May this year, allowing relaxations for in-service teachers.
An SSC official said preparations are underway to hold the test in September, as the Supreme Court has instructed the commission to complete the process by December 31. The court set the deadline after cancelling the jobs of 17,602 teachers on April 3, citing irregularities in the 2016 recruitment.
On Friday, the SSC wrote to heads of schools and colleges, stating that it would likely hold the tests on September 7 (secondary) and September 14 (higher secondary). Institutions were requested to make their campuses available on those dates.
Although the state has petitioned the Supreme Court to review the April 3 order, the SSC is moving ahead with the September schedule. “We don’t know when the Supreme Court will hear the review petitions. The chances of review are usually slim,” an SSC official said.
Commission chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said: “We will abide by whatever the Supreme Court says.”
An SSC official said they are awaiting the apex court’s verdict on OBC reservation rules in jobs and education. Since Calcutta High Court stayed the Bengal government’s June 8 notification till July 31, the SSC did not collect category-wise applications. “The state has challenged the high court order in the apex court. Depending on its decision, we may allow applicants to edit their forms,” the official said.