Appointments of 55 para-teachers cancelled

MP | 14 March 2017, Kolkata: The appointments of some para-teachers were cancelled by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education in South Dinajpur district on Monday. 

The Board clarified that those candidates could not submit the engagement certificates within the stipulated time so it was not possible for the Board to appoint them even as non para-teacher. So, their appointments were cancelled. 

But the state government will look into this issue to find a solution to the problems of these 55 para-teachers in South Dinajpur. 

According to the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, 10 per cent vacancies are kept district-wise for the para-teachers. 

The candidates, who successfully cleared the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET), chose the option of para-teachers. But they could not submit the Engagement Certificate submitted by District Project Officer (DPO). 

"We cannot appoint candidates selected for para-teachers' posts into non para teachers; posts. It is not possible. So we do not have any other options but to cancel their appointments," said Manik Bhattacharya, president, West Bengal Board of Primary Education. 

"Those candidates marked themselves as para-teachers during the form fill-up. They were also selected for the posts of para-teachers. But they could not submit Engagement Certificate, which is necessary here," Bhattacharya said while talking to Millennium Post on Tuesday. 

"But we will definitely try to find a solution to this problem," Bhattacharya added. 

However, those para-teachers will probably take legal steps to get back the jobs, a district source said. It may be mentioned that 1,089 successful candidates were given appointments as teachers and para-teachers in mid February for 1,169 primary schools in South Dinajpur. 

Some of the teachers earlier protested in front of the District Inspector (Primary) on March 10. It should be recalled that the Calcutta High Court gave the direction to the state government to publish the results of the Teachers' Eligibility Test, which was pending for a while.