CM’s appeal to dismissed teachers is final word, all should respond positively: Minister

MP, 8 Apr 2025, Kolkata: Education minister Bratya Basu on Tuesday asserted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s message to the dismissed teachers to return to work should be considered the final word on the matter. 

His remark comes, on a day, when several teachers, who lost their jobs following the recent Supreme Court verdict, stayed away from schools despite the Chief Minister’s request made a day earlier. “What the Chief Minister said yesterday should be treated as the final word. What a section of them are doing now reflects their personal taste or preference. I believe they have been shown humanitarian support and all of them should respond positively,” Basu told reporters on Tuesday. 

On Monday, CM Banerjee met the dismissed teachers and staff at Netaji Indoor Stadium and appealed to them to return to their schools. However, many chose not to. At Naraindass Bangur Memorial Multipurpose School, a Chemistry teacher, a Bengali teacher, and a Group-D staff who lost their jobs did not report to school on Tuesday. 

“We are facing a tremendous problem now that our Chemistry teacher is gone. Also, one of our Group-D staff is seriously ill, and the other is no longer working here,” said headmaster Sanjay Barua. Some teachers did report to schools but confusion remains. 

Many hesitated to sign the attendance register due to the lack of clear instructions from the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), the appointing authority. “There is no official order yet, so we can’t ask them not to sign in. But at the same time, the Supreme Court’s ruling cannot be ignored,” said Animesh Halder, South 24-Parganas district secretary of the Secondary Teachers and Employees Association, 

Basu reiterated the state’s commitment to supporting the affected individuals. “We will continue to provide legal and administrative assistance,” he said. However, when asked if they would be paid, he replied, “Without clarification from the Supreme Court, I cannot give any definitive answer.” 

Meanwhile, BJP MP and former judge Abhijit Ganguly demanded that the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) release the mirror images of OMR sheets used in the recruitment process. He visited the WBSSC office on Tuesday to meet chairman Siddhartha Majumdar but was unable to do so. He plans to return on Wednesday. 

Reacting sharply, Basu criticised Ganguly, saying: “When Abhijit Ganguly was a judge, he spoke like a politician, calling panels fake and demanding cancellations. 

Now that he is a politician and an MP, he is speaking like a judge, recommending the formation of committees. I once saw him express interest in being a theatre actor. As someone deeply involved in theatre, I must say, a true actor should know which role belongs to whom.” 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/cms-appeal-to-dismissed-teachers-is-final-word-all-should-respond-positively-minister-605765