The school service commission (SSC) has proposed to hold written tests to shortlist candidates for Group C posts at secondary and higher secondary schools on March 1 and for Group D posts on March 15.

A petitioner’s allegation of corruption in school recruitments in April last year led to the termination of 25,753 jobs, 8,544 of which were non-teaching posts.

The petitioner from Nandigam in East Midnapore, herself, features on a list of “tainted candidates” that the SSC published last Thursday.

The dates of the written tests will be formally announced following consent from the state government, said an SSC official.

“Although we have planned to hold the tests of Group D on March 15, the government wants us to hold the tests on March 8. The government is apprehensive that poll-related activities might start before March 15, disrupting our exam schedule. In all probability, the tests for Group D posts will be held on March 8,” said an SSC official.

“The dates will be formally announced in a day or two.”

Another official stated that they proposed that the Group D exam be held on March 15, as Holi falls on March 4 (Thursday).

“Since Holi leads to extended celebrations, we wanted to avoid the weekend that follows (March 8),” the official said.

Around 16 lakh candidates — 8 lakh each for both groups — have submitted online applications.

The commission had earlier said that the selection tests would be held in January. However, the dates had to be pushed back as the recruitment process to appoint schoolteachers got deferred.

The Supreme Court on December 18 extended the December 31 deadline for the schoolteacher recruitment to August 31 this year, as the secondary education board, SSC, and the school education department cited that numerous petitions submitted in the high court were obstructing the timely completion of the recruitment process.

Amit Mandal, a representative for a forum of non-teaching employees, said: “Although the state government proposed a monthly allowance of ₹25,000 for each sacked Group C staff and ₹20,000 for each sacked Group D staff till they had been reemployed, the proposal was stayed by the high court. Many of us are now doing odd jobs to sustain our families.”