The state government initiated the process of allowing sacked secondary and higher secondary school teachers to return to their former jobs in primary and upper primary schools, which they had quit to join as assistant teachers in the government-aided schools, on Friday, an education department official said.
On August 11, in the first phase, Nabanna, the state secretariat, approved the appointment of those who quit their jobs in the home and power departments to join as teachers.
Now, the process of allowing those who left the schools at the primary (Classes I to V) and upper primary (Classes VI to VIII) levels has begun, days before the new selection tests to appoint teachers at the secondary and higher secondary levels are to start. The fresh tests are scheduled on September 7 and 14.
The school education department had earlier asked the district inspectors (DIs) of schools to examine the credentials of sacked schoolteachers and non-teaching staff seeking to return to their former government jobs following a directive of the Supreme Court on April 3, the day the commission sacked the jobs of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff.
“The Supreme Court issued directions on the reinstatement. The process of verifying the applications has been completed. Now, we are contacting their previous places of work, ensuring their return to the schools they came from,” the official said.
According to sources in the education department, the district primary school councils have been informed that the process of rejoining has begun.
Letters about rejoining are also being sent to the Madrasah Service Commission.
Metro reported on July 12 that the school education department received around 5,000 applications from school staff dismissed by the Supreme Court in April, seeking to return to their previous government jobs.
Swapan Mandal, general secretary of the Bengal Teachers and Employees Association, said: “The trend of returning to previous jobs suggests that many are not sure about cracking the fresh tests. So they want to return to their former jobs as part of a backup plan.”