West Bengal SSC releases merit list of 13,966 candidates

Following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has released the Merit List for the recruitment of Assistant Teachers (AT) at the upper primary level in state government-aided and sponsored schools. This development marks a significant milestone in a recruitment process that has faced legal hurdles for nearly a decade.

State Education Minister Bratya Basu welcomed the move, stating, “Very good news for the candidates before Puja. Best wishes to all.” WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumder added, “We have published the provisional panel and waiting list. The first phase of counselling will begin before Puja, and the schedule for it will be announced soon.” The notification regarding the counselling dates is expected within the next couple of days.

The commission is set to fill 14,339 vacancies, excluding the 10% reserved for Para teachers. A merit list of 13,966 candidates has been prepared, with around 9,000 on the panel and the rest on the waiting list. This follows the court's instruction to include 14,052 candidates who appeared for the Personality Test (PT). However, 96 candidates were excluded due to irregularities in their caste category certificates or educational qualifications, while 10 candidates were added based on court orders.

The Upper Primary recruitment process has been fraught with legal complications since its inception. The Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) was first notified in 2014, followed by the exam in 2015. Results were published in 2016, but alleged irregularities led the Calcutta High Court to cancel the merit panel in 2020. A new merit panel was published, but it too was nullified by the court on August 28, 2023. The court’s latest order required the commission to finalize and publish the updated merit list within four weeks and to conduct fresh counselling for all eligible candidates.