Braving heat and dust, a group of terminated teaching and non-teaching staff from government-aided schools gathered outside the school service commission’s office in Salt Lake on Wednesday, demanding reinstatement.
The protesters, who travelled from various districts, raised slogans including “Amra kara, jogya jara” (Who are we? The deserving candidates) while displaying admit cards, OMR sheets and rank lists to support their claims.
Three affected teachers shared their stories with The Telegraph:
Sayoni Mukherjee
Sayoni Mukherjee, who holds an MTech in computer science, expressed frustration that a flawed recruitment process had forced her to protest on the streets instead of teaching in a classroom.
“I completed my BTech from Calcutta University and MTech from a university in Karnataka before working at a tech firm there,” she said.
“Though that job paid three times more than teaching, I returned to West Bengal when managing care for my infant daughter became difficult.”
After passing the exam for an assistant teacher position, Mukherjee taught computer science to Classes XI and XII at a school in Nadia’s Krishnagar.
“Instead of being in a classroom where I belong, I’m sitting on this road in scorching heat, caught between hope and despair,” she said.
“Teaching is my legitimate right, and I urge the government to restore my employment,” Mukherjee said.
Pinki Chakraborti Maitra
A former biology teacher at DL High School in Hooghly district, Pinki Chakraborti Maitra feels embarrassed when her seven-year-old daughter watches television coverage of the protests.
“My family understands my situation, but what do I tell a seven-year-old?” she wondered.
Since last week, Maitra has received calls from concerned former students offering help. “I don’t have answers for them, and I feel increasingly helpless and dejected with each passing day,” she said.
Having always respected the teaching profession, Maitra added, “Teaching once carried dignity, but recent events have severely damaged that standing.”
Mousumi Sarkar
Following the Supreme Court verdict that invalidated 25,773 teaching and non-teaching positions in government-aided schools, Mousumi Sarkar now faces renewed scrutiny from her community.
“People are questioning my abilities as a teacher,” said Sarkar, who taught physical science to Classes IX and X at a school in Howrah.
“I worry my seven-year-old daughter will soon face questions about her mother’s competence. Society can be ruthless,” she said.
Sarkar lamented that her generation of teachers may never achieve the respected status they once aspired to. “How can we teach students about moral values when they might question our integrity and whether we obtained our positions honestly?”
