2022 TET Protest: A Massive Movement by TET-Qualified Job Seekers! Kolkata to be in a Frenzy Demanding Recruitment!

2022 TET Protest: The education system of West Bengal is going through a deep crisis. Due to corruption and legal cases, thousands of qualified candidates are struggling as the state’s schools suffer from a lack of teacher recruitment. In this situation, the primary TET-qualified job seekers of 2022 have united to demand their rightful appointment.

Delays in Teacher Recruitment and Its Impact

For the past few years, the teacher recruitment process in West Bengal has been virtually stagnant. After the legal complications and corruption allegations surrounding the 2016 SLST, new appointments have been scarce. This is directly impacting the state’s schools. Many schools are on the verge of shutting down due to the lack of teachers. According to statistics:

• 11,515 schools have fewer than 30 students.
• 747 schools have become student-less due to the absence of teachers.

This situation is a serious violation of the children’s right to education, which is a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution. The condition of village schools is the worst due to the lack of qualified teachers. In many places, a single teacher is forced to handle multiple classes, which is dragging down the quality of education.

The 2022 TET Examination and Its Aftermath

The TET examination, held on December 11, 2022, is considered one of the most transparent examinations in West Bengal’s history. About 650,000 candidates participated in this exam. The results were published on March 10, 2023, and about 150,000 candidates passed. At that time, the President of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Goutam Pal, had promised to conduct two recruitment drives every year and assured that no TET-qualified candidate would remain unemployed. But in reality, there has been no reflection of that. After the Supreme Court’s verdict on August 11, 2023, which declared B.Ed candidates (about 91,817) ineligible for primary teaching positions, the path for the recruitment of D.El.Ed and NIOS D.El.Ed qualified candidates became clearer. But even then, the recruitment process has not started. Thousands of job seekers have become frustrated by the government’s indifference.

The Teachers’ Protest and the Call for the Future

To break this deadlock and create pressure on the government, the TET-qualified candidates have called for a major movement. A mass movement, the ‘Kolkata Cholo’ campaign, has been organized in Kolkata on the upcoming 19th of August. The main objectives of this movement are:

• To demand the immediate and transparent start of the recruitment process.
• To save the collapsing education system of West Bengal.
• To ensure the right to education for children.

The organizers of the movement have appealed to all eligible TET-qualified candidates from all 23 districts of the state to participate in this peaceful protest. Their message is clear – this fight is not just for a job, it is a fight to save the future generation of West Bengal. Now, it remains to be seen whether any positive steps will be taken by the government on this matter.