Will Teachers March to the Bengal Assembly for Job Reinstatement?

Kolkata, Sep 3 (NationPress) Members of the Unemployed Qualified Teachers' Forum have organized a march to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Thursday, demanding the restoration of their positions in state-run schools.

A Supreme Court ruling from April 2025 led to the dismissal of teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal Government-run schools.

The forum's members have also addressed a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee, urging the government to hold a special session of the Assembly to deliberate on their demands.

Currently, a special session is underway in the state Assembly, which is expected to wrap up tomorrow.

Suman Biswas, the forum's convenor, stated in a video message, "We urge that a special session be convened in the Assembly on September 4 to address our concerns. An all-party meeting should be organized in this context. We are qualified educators and will not participate in a new examination. Our jobs were unjustly taken from us by the SSC and the ruling party. Our positions must be restored."

In a separate video, Biswas called for a peaceful march to the Assembly to compel the state government to meet their demands.

"We will organize a peaceful march, respecting law and order, without causing inconvenience to the public. We will press the chief minister to convene a special session and address our concerns," said Biswas.

A Supreme Court ruling in April this year resulted in the loss of approximately 26,000 teaching and non-teaching positions in West Bengal Government-run schools. A legal case concerning this matter has been ongoing in the Supreme Court.

Following the Supreme Court's directive, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recently released a list of 'tainted and ineligible' candidates. Subsequently, some 'eligible' candidates have requested the publication of their list and the reinstatement of those who lost their teaching positions due to the Apex Court's ruling.

They have also called for the cancellation of the new examination set by the WBSSC on September 7 and 14.

It is noteworthy that on Monday, Biswas reported being harassed by a police officer when he attempted to visit the WBSSC office in Kolkata's Salt Lake area. Later, a Calcutta High Court order permitted him and four others to visit the WBSSC office that day.

Last month, Biswas was detained for over eight hours after announcing a march to the WBSSC office regarding the same issue. Unfortunately, the march could not proceed due to his detention.