26000 Jobs Out on the Streets: Amidst the Chaos of Cancelling SSC Jobs in West Bengal
The Supreme Court on last Thursday, upholds the earlier verdict of Calcutta High Court cancellation of 25,573 (rounded to 26,000) appointments of teaching and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools. This brings a tremor to yet thousands of appointees stuck in a loophole of recruitment scandal, as SC calls the process ‘rigged’ and ‘tainted beyond resolution’. The bench of Chief Justice India, Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, calls for a new selection of appointing staff within three months.
The Talk of ‘Human Toll and Uncertainty’
As the state grapples with the fallout of the recruitment scandal, this left a mark of uncertainty for the families, the schools-jobs blowing in chaos and ignited protests amongst the staff. At this point, the ‘human cost of the broken system’ is coming to limelight while hear stories from the teachers who had been discussing the uncertainties of their jobs everyday at Shahid Minar in Dharmatala. This stands as a shattering blow to them. Amit, a high school teacher in Medinipur district, amongst many others is coping up with the recent news of cancellation. He shares his discontent, “I am clueless as to what I will do next.” He adds, “Suddenly, I am back to square one. After 6 years… I have crossed my age to apply for a new job,” as he told The Indian Express.
More Narratives Concerning The Recruitment Scandal
Aditi, another teacher questions the rationale behind the decision being made. She shares, “If we are not competent enough for the job, then the answer sheets that we have checked of Class X and XII should also be cancelled.” as she told The Indian Express. She added, “SSC, which is our recruitment board, couldn’t submit the list of tainted and fair candidates. After 4 years of investigation, the SSC agrees with CBI’s list. In that list, our name wasn’t there. The list mentioned 5,000 candidates’ names, while the recruitment of 26,000 gets cancelled. What was the need for the investigation for all these years?” while responding.
Like her, there are many other educators who see themselves as the ‘scapegoats’ in the entire process. They shared their concern of how 5,000 tainted job applications, which is less than 10 percent, have washed over the employment uncertainty over more than 90 percent of appointees. Their stories call for the attention to how the recruitment scam has corroded an essence of faith in West Bengal’s governance. As it appears, the incident might go on to lead to define the political future, as thousands of appointees hold onto a ray of hope.
