A group of teachers in Kolkata who lost their jobs due to a recent Supreme Court order have started their journey to Delhi to take their protest beyond West Bengal. They plan to hold a sit-in at Jantar Mantar on April 16. Mehboob Mondal, a spokesperson for the ‘Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum,’ said that around 70 affected teachers left Kolkata’s Esplanade area in two buses on Monday. These teachers were among the 26,000 whose teaching and non-teaching jobs were cancelled by the Supreme Court’s April 3 verdict.
“Our protest is against the dismissal of qualified teachers who cleared the 2016 SSC recruitment exam on merit,” said Mehboob Mondal, spokesperson for the Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum. “Despite being eligible, we’ve been unfairly grouped with those involved in corruption. The Supreme Court scrapped the entire process- what are we supposed to do now?” he told PTI.
Mondal also mentioned that the state government’s offer for the sacked employees to work on a voluntary basis has not received much support. “We want to share our side of the story with people in the national capital,” said Mehboob Mondal. “Many well-known personalities have extended their support and are expected to join us during the protest.”
He confirmed that all the teachers heading to Delhi will take part in the three-hour sit-in at Jantar Mantar on April 16, and that they have secured all necessary permissions from the Delhi authorities.Meanwhile, the sit-in protest by the ‘eligible’ teachers at Kolkata’s Y-Channel near Esplanade continues.
The Supreme Court’s April 3 verdict cancelled the appointments of 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run and aided schools, citing major irregularities in the 2016 recruitment conducted by the School Service Commission (SSC).
Protesting teachers argue that the SSC failed to separate genuine candidates from those who secured jobs through unfair means, resulting in a blanket dismissal of all appointments.The protesting teachers have asked the state government and the School Service Commission (SSC) to find a way to bring back those who were rightfully hired. They have been protesting across West Bengal for several days.
At the same time, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, asking for permission for the dismissed teachers to continue working until the end of the school year or until a new recruitment process is completed, whichever happens first. Education Minister Bratya Basu, along with WBBSE president Ramanuj Ganguly, said the Supreme Court will hear the petition on April 17.
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