WB Primary Edu Board to seek legal advice after Cal HC cancels jobs of 36K ‘untrained’ teachers

MP | 13 May 2023 | Kolkata: The West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) president Gautam Pal on Friday said they have started taking legal advice on the Calcutta High Court’s order on the cancellation of jobs of 36,000 "untrained" teachers. 

In a press conference, Pal indicated that the Board may go to a higher court if necessary. “We are seeking legal advice and will accordingly take the next step,” Pal said. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had directed the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) to conduct fresh recruitments within three months, and this recruitment process will have to be videographed. 

However, the teachers who have lost their jobs will not be fired immediately and will continue to work for the next four months but will be given the salary of an adjunct teacher. Justice Gangopadhyay had also directed that teachers whose jobs have been cancelled can participate in the new recruitment process if they have already received training. 

At least 140 people had reportedly filed a case in the High Court upon not being appointed and claimed that the list published recently by the Board has names of many untrained candidates, who, they alleged, got recruited despite having lesser marks. In 2016, at least 42,000 teachers were recruited on the basis of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2014. 

Pal said the 36,000 primary teachers who are in service are no longer untrained and that they had completed their training by 2019. The Board said they were recruited as per the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) norms. Complaints have been raised that no aptitude test was taken, and in this context, Pal added that the Board was asked to submit an affidavit and it has been done. 

“As per the record, every expert took the aptitude test of the candidates,” he said. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/wb-primary-edu-board-to-seek-legal-advice-after-cal-hc-cancels-jobs-of-36k-untrained-teachers-518422