The number of protesting teachers near Bikash Bhavan, the state education secretariat, has sharply declined as educators prepare to return to classrooms following the summer vacation.
Only eight teachers remained at the protest site on Saturday afternoon, down from an average of 200 who had been blocking the thoroughfare outside the education secretariat in recent weeks. With schools set to reopen on Monday, most
protesters have headed home to resume their teaching duties.
The demonstration had grown so disruptive that the Calcutta High Court was forced to intervene on May 23, ordering the teachers to relocate their protest from the main road to Central Park.
Root of the dispute
The protesting teachers, deemed not specifically tainted, are caught in an unprecedented situation following a Supreme Court order from April 17. While they have been allowed to continue teaching temporarily until December 31, they must now compete in fresh recruitment tests alongside new candidates to retain their positions permanently.
These in-service teachers are demanding exemption from the new selection process, arguing they should not be forced to reapply for jobs they already hold unless individual wrongdoing has been proven against them.
The controversy stems from irregularities in previous teacher recruitment exercises, which prompted the Supreme Court to order a complete restart of the hiring process for approximately 35,000 teaching positions in government-aided secondary and higher secondary schools.
Protest & duty
Many teachers expressed the difficult choice they face between continuing their demonstrations and fulfilling their professional obligations.
“We have to join school on Monday. However, we will continue to protest until we get any assurance from the government about our jobs,” said Brindaban Ghosh, a Bengali teacher at Fatullapur Sashimoni High School in Murshidabad district.
Noor Amina Gulsan, a life science teacher who has been protesting since May 7, echoed similar concerns.
“We have to complete the syllabus for our students. They have been calling us continuously as their syllabus remains incomplete,” she said.
Looking ahead
The school service commission announced fresh recruitment notifications on Friday, officially launching the new selection process. Written examinations are tentatively scheduled for the first week of September.
Despite being given certain advantages, such as additional marks for teaching experience and lecture demonstrations, many in-service teachers are already returning to their books to prepare for what promises to be intense competition with fresh graduates.
As classes resume after the summer break that began on April 30, the teachers plan to take turns maintaining their protest presence while balancing their classroom responsibilities. However, the significantly reduced numbers suggest the movement may struggle to maintain its earlier momentum.
The quiet protest site near Central Park’s swimming pool, once filled with slogans and posters, now stands as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by thousands of teachers across Bengal.