Editorial

The education system in West Bengal has plunged into chaos after the Calcutta High Court delivered a landmark verdict in the WB SSC recruitment case, annulling the appointments of over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff. The decision, which came after years of controversy surrounding the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC), has stirred intense political, social, and administrative unrest across the state. With thousands of educators suddenly left without jobs, and schools now scrambling to fill the gap, the ripple effects of the court’s order are being felt at every level.

The court ruled that the recruitment process was riddled with irregularities, including manipulated merit lists, illegal recommendations, and instances where blank OMR sheets were allegedly submitted but still resulted in appointments. This verdict, according to the court, was not just about administrative failures but a violation of constitutional principles that guarantee fairness, equality, and transparency in public employment. The ruling ordered all appointments made outside the legitimate selection panel to be terminated immediately and asked the beneficiaries to return the salaries drawn so far with an interest rate of 12% per annum. This has sparked public outrage, with terminated staff and their families now facing economic uncertainty and emotional distress.

Educational institutions across the state, particularly government-aided and sponsored schools, are now struggling with a critical shortage of staff. With thousands of teaching posts suddenly vacated, student-teacher ratios have worsened, and classroom management has become increasingly difficult. The sudden void has left many headmasters and principals scrambling to restructure timetables, merge classes, and temporarily assign duties to remaining staff, affecting the overall quality of education being delivered in government schools. The academic environment in hundreds of schools has turned volatile, with protests erupting from both staff and students.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly opposed the court’s decision, calling it legally flawed and politically motivated. She has assured those who lost their jobs that her government will appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court. She accused the opposition and central agencies of trying to destabilize the state through judiciary overreach and questioned the logic of punishing thousands of candidates for administrative faults they may not have been responsible for. On the other side, opposition parties, especially the BJP and the CPI(M), have used the verdict to launch fresh attacks on the TMC government, calling the recruitment scam the result of systemic corruption and nepotism.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was already probing the matter following earlier court directions, has been asked to intensify its investigation. A fresh status report is expected in the coming months, and the case may grow more complex as further names and administrative lapses come to light. The teachers who lost their jobs have taken to the streets, demanding reinstatement or fresh recruitment opportunities, claiming that many of them were genuine candidates who had no involvement in any irregularities.

This crisis has revealed deeper cracks in the state's recruitment system and raises questions about the accountability of public institutions involved in hiring. With public trust in government hiring mechanisms at an all-time low, West Bengal’s education department now faces the dual challenge of rebuilding the system while managing the political and social consequences of the verdict.