Eight Non-Teaching Staff Appointed in Schools of Darjeeling and Kalimpong Under GTA

KalimNews, Darjeeling, January 18, 2025: Eight non-teaching staff members, who had been serving as volunteers, received official appointments in various schools across the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts under the Education Department of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). The appointments, issued on January 15, 2025, include five in clerical posts (Group C) and three in Group D posts.

The Education Department of the GTA, through its Order No. 03/IV-45/EDN/GTA/2025 dated January 15, 2025, issued the appointments following directives from multiple court orders, including those from the Hon'ble High Court, Calcutta, and its Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri.

The appointments were made in compliance with the order by the Division Bench of Hon'ble Justice Harish Tandon and Hon'ble Justice Apurba Sinha Ray in MAT No. 179 of 2023 (The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration & Anr. Vs Wangal Lepcha & Ors.) dated September 13, 2024, the order by the Single Bench of Hon'ble Justice Bibek Chaudhuri in WPA No. 316 of 2023 (Wangal Lepcha & Ors. Vs The State of West Bengal & Ors.) dated February 7, 2023, and subsequent orders in the same case dated November 8, 2024, as well as the order by the Single Bench of Hon'ble Justice Krishna Rao in WPA No. 1208 of 2023 (Anupam Gurung Vs The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Council & Ors.) dated June 14, 2023.

The eight appointees are Sandip Rai (Group-D) of Dr. Radha Krishna High School, Sagar Tamang (Group-C) of Griffith's High School, Sani Kumar Thatal (Group-D) of Lower Chongtong High School, Ramchandra Lama (Group-C) of Lower Chongtong High School, Niraj Pradhan (Group-C) of Chongtong Higher Secondary School, Nishesh Rai (Group-D) of Chongtong Higher Secondary School, Ashesh Rai (Group-C) of St. Xavier's High School, and Anupam Gurung (Group-C) of Kalimpong Jubilee High School.

GTA Chief Executive Anit Thapa expressed his satisfaction over the appointments and congratulated the appointees, praising their dedication. He stated, "You had been working as volunteer teachers. I had promised to stand firm for the right cause. Volunteer teachers have dedicated the prime years of their lives to the education of students, and these appointments are their rightful due."

The appointments mark a significant step towards addressing long-pending grievances and ensuring justice for the volunteer staff, who have played a critical role in supporting education in the region.