In this image provided by CM Office on April 17, 2025, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee held a press conference in Kolkata. |Photo source: PTI
The West Bengal government welcomed the Supreme Court order on Thursday (17 April 2025) to allow “unpolluted” teachers to continue serving until the end of the year. The court said they could keep their jobs until the new recruitment process was underway by the end of 2025.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: “It’s a huge relief for the time being. We are confused about how we pay teachers after the last SC order. We are looking for alternative solutions. Now hearing our appeals… Teachers will be paid on time.”
More than 26,000 government-assisted teaching and non-teaching personnel in government-assisted schools were unemployed after the Supreme Court confirmed on April 3 that it had cancelled the early “pollution” selection process.
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While many claim that the government will drag the recruitment process to the 2026 parliamentary elections, the chief minister said the crisis will be resolved by the end of the year.
The Supreme Court also requested that the state and secondary education departments submit affidavits by May 31 and complete the schedule for the entire recruitment process by December 31.
Ms. Banerjee also urged the teacher to go back to work as usual and to do the lessons as before. “Don’t fall into the trap of conspiracy and maintain confidence in the law and government. We will legally find a way to make things right,” she said.
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“Only temporary relief”
Teachers who conducted sit-in demonstrations in the Y channel of Esplanade in Kolkata said the Supreme Court’s order was a momentary relief, not a permanent solution to their plight.
“Like they now give us a specific time frame until we can live. How will we attend classes and love our students when we know our days have been numbered?” said Mehboob Mondal, one of the well-deserved spokespersons for the Teachers’ Rights Forum.
The Supreme Court has not resumed work on “uncontaminated” non-teachers who are part of 26,000 people who have lost their jobs, a decision that has left the victims in trouble. One such protester said: “They are dividing the line between teaching and non-teaching workers. Why is this discrimination?”
Many “unpolluted” teachers say they don’t want to take another round of exams when they don’t have any unfair means to hire.
BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar said he welcomed the Supreme Court’s move but declined to comment further.
State Education Minister Bratya Basu earlier assured protest teachers that if law permits, they will release a list of “contaminated” and “uncontaminated” candidates by April 21. The West Bengal School Services Commission has reportedly submitted these lists to the government; when they are made public, it remains to be seen.
publishing – April 17, 2025 at 08:43 pm IST
