Bengal’s secondary education board has appealed to the Supreme Court that teachers and school staff whose services have been terminated though they are “not specifically tainted” be allowed to continue until fresh recruitments are made.
The board said if over 19,000 teaching and non-teaching staff were immediately removed from service, schools would find it difficult to hold classes.
“We have approached the Supreme Court, requesting that those who are not specifically tainted be allowed to continue so classes can be held and schools can run,” board secretary Subrata Ghose told Metro.
“We have appealed that they be allowed to continue till the fresh recruitments are made or till the (completion of the) current academic year, whichever is earlier. Since running schools is our responsibility, we have filed this appeal,” Ghose said.
It is likely to be mentioned in the Supreme Court in a day or two, a board official said.
The Supreme Court scrapped the services of 25,773 teaching and non-teaching staff on April 3, saying the entire recruitment process was “vitiated”.
The termination of so many teachers has hit schools hard.
Metro has reported in the past few days that many schools have been forced to suspend classes in some subjects or an entire stream following the en masse termination.
At a school in Gosaba, South 24-Parganas, nine out of its 10 teachers lost their jobs.
At a school in Murshidabad, 36 teachers have been axed.
At a school in Durgapur, the head of the institution had to ring the bell between periods and at the start and end of class day as the Group D staff had been removed.
“So, we are appealing that at least the 19,000-odd staff in government-aided schools be allowed to continue as a temporary measure. Or else the schools will be in grave danger,” said a board official.
The school service commission, which has been asked by the state government to initiate the fresh hiring process following the Supreme Court’s order, has said the recruitment exercise will take time.
The commission will ask the Supreme Court whether the court would want all 22 lakh candidates who had written the 2016 state-level selection test (SLST) to be offered a chance to take the fresh test.
It will also ask the apex court whether the age relaxation offered to candidates should be extended to everyone or only to those who lost their jobs even though their recruitment process was not “tainted”.
Over 22 lakh candidates wrote the 2016 test, based on which around 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff were given jobs in state-aided schools.
“In such a scenario, it may be a while before the vacancies arising out of termination are filled. We hope the Supreme Court will take cognizance of our prayer and allow the continuation of the service,” said a board official.