SSC
Kolkata: Supreme Court of India on Monday extended the service tenure of eligible Bengal teachers until May 31, 2027, granting a nine-month extension to West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to finalise the recruitment process for 35,000 vacant positions in state-aided schools.
The matter stems from the 2016 State Level Selection Test (SLST) conducted by WBSSC for over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching posts. Following allegations of rank manipulation and OMR sheet tampering, Calcutta High Court in April 2024 cancelled the entire 2016 panel of 25,753 appointments and directed ineligible candidates to refund their salaries. The decision was appealed before Supreme Court, which stayed the blanket dismissal to prevent an operational collapse in schools, permitting qualified, non-tainted teachers to continue temporarily. Welcoming the order, Chinmoy Mondal, spokesperson of the Jogyo Shikkhok Shikkhika Adhikar Mancha, described the ruling as a temporary relief for teachers. He urged WBSSC and West Bengal Board of Secondary Education to complete the selection process within the stipulated timeline, while requesting govt steps to secure the future of candidates who missed the requisite cut-off.