Bengal: Teachers’ Protest Intensifies; WBSSC Fails to Publish List

The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has failed to publish the list of eligible and ineligible candidates, as promised. As a result, thousands of unemployed teaching and non-teaching staff remain in limbo and have intensified their protests.

A crucial meeting was held on April 11, involving State Education Minister Bratya Basu, WBSSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar, Ramanuj Gangopadhyay (president, West Bengal Board of Secondary Education), and several dismissed teachers and non-teaching staff. Following the meeting, Basu had informed the sacked employees that the list would be published by April 21.

However, as of Monday night, April 21, the list remained unpublished. Thousands of unemployed teachers and non-teaching staff waited anxiously throughout the day, only to be met with silence. This triggered widespread protests—teachers gathered in front of the WBSSC office while non-teaching staff erupted in protest outside the Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (the West Bengal Board of Secondary office)

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The protests, which began Monday evening, continued through Tuesday with increasing intensity. Protesters, including teachers and staff, spent the night sleeping on the streets. Heavy police presence was deployed to manage the situation, but law enforcement struggled to control the growing unrest.

Several protesters, overwhelmed by despair, were heard shouting, “Let us be shot dead—we cannot live with this humiliation and pain anymore.” They have firmly declared they will not leave until the list is made public. Many police personnel on duty were visibly emotional, with some in tears. Several officers confessed that their own family members had lost jobs due to the 2016 panel cancellations, deepening the emotional toll.

Meanwhile, a group of dismissed non-teaching staff has initiated a ‘hunger strike unto death’ inside the Madhyamik Shiksha Bhaban. Among them are Sujoy Sardar, Pralay Jamadar, Kousik Ranjan Mandal, Moumita Biswas, Shyamsundar Aharya, Asit Kumar Aari, Rajashree Basak, and Asit Barui. Their health is reportedly deteriorating.

On April 21, members of the “Jogyo Shikshak Shikhika Adhikar Mancha,” an association representing eligible teachers and non-teaching staff, marched from Karunamoyee in Bidhannagar to the WBSSC headquarters at Acharya Bhaban and staged a sit-in. WBSSC was expected to publish the eligibility list at 6 PM that day.

Teachers intensify protests as WBSSC fails to publish promised list on April 21.

After the deadline passed, representatives met WBSSC officials. Following two hours of discussion, the WBSSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar reportedly informed them that jobs secured through the first three rounds of counselling were considered legal, while appointments through the subsequent four rounds were deemed illegal. This announcement further escalated the protests.

The teachers questioned why the SSC was attempting to create divisions among them, despite the fact that all had been called for counselling by the commission itself. Many broke down over the uncertainty and perceived injustice.

Some angry non-teaching staff later stormed the Madhyamik Shiksha Bhaban (Dirozio Bhaban) and detained Board President Ramanuj Gangopadhyay.

It is important to note that on April 3, the Supreme Court ruled that there was widespread corruption in the WBSSC’s 2016 recruitment process, leading to the cancellation of 26,000 teaching jobs. On April 17, following a petition by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, the Supreme Court allowed eligible teachers to continue working until December 31. It also directed the SSC to issue a fresh notification by May 31, with the new recruitment process to be completed by December 31—a decision accepted by the state government.

However, the Supreme Court completely invalidated the appointments of non-teaching staff under the 2016 panel. This decision, too, was accepted by the state government.

 Sacked non- teaching staff are continuing their hunger strike in the West Bengal Secondary Board of Education office.  

Protesting non-teaching staff expressed anguish, questioning how schools could function without them. "We were selected based on merit and qualifications. How are our families supposed to survive now?" said Sujoy Sardar, Moumita Biswas, and Asit Barui, who have been on a hunger strike since Monday.

The writer covers the Jangalmahal region for ‘Ganashakti’ newspaper in West Bengal.

(All pictures by Madhu Sudan Chatterjee)