Bengal Edu Dept seeks district-wise list of ‘illegally-employed teachers’ still in service

Kolkata: With several cases relating to the multi-crore cash-for-school jobs case in West Bengal pending before different courts, the state Education Department has now sought a district-wise list of the “illegally-appointed teachers" still active in service at different state-run schools.

The Education Department has forwarded a communiqe in this regard to the district inspectors of schools, asking them to forward the names of such teachers at the earliest.

Sources in the state government said that during the hearing of a case related to the alleged scam recently, the Calcutta High Court had sought a similar list of illegally-appointed teachers continuing in service.

Now, the Education Department has sought a similar list on the basis of which, the officials will compile district-wise reports and prepare the final statewide list.

However, sources said that collecting such district-wise lists will not be an easy task.

A senior state government official said that in order to prepare the district-wise lists, the district inspectors of schools will have to contact the individual headmaster or headmistress of the state-run schools, and on the basis of the list provided by them, the district-wise list will be prepared.

“But the problem is that the headmaster or headmistress concerned allows joining of teachers based on recommendations and appointment letters provided to them by the West Bengal School Service Commission.

"So it is virtually impossible for the headmaster or headmistress to know which candidate secured such recommendations using unfair means,” the official said.