The movement of sacked teachers in West Bengal has intensified as a group has now begun an indefinite hunger strike. The strike started on Thursday at midnight, initially with twelve participants—six male and six female. The “Qualified Teacher Rights Forum” stated they were compelled to take this extreme step after a meeting with the SSC Chairman yielded no resolution.
What Are the Teachers’ Core Demands?
The protesting teachers are vocal about their demands. Their primary conditions are:
- No form filling or examinations should be conducted until the review and curative petitions are resolved.
- The list of qualified and unqualified candidates, along with the mirror images of OMR sheets, must be published immediately.
- A re-paneling system must be implemented.
- The SSC must publish a verified list of qualified candidates.
- The online form-filling process, scheduled to begin on June 16, must be postponed.
- A list of teachers currently attending schools must be published.
Allegations of Corruption and Fear of Injustice
The teachers allege that there is an attempt to rush the form-filling process, paving the way for further corruption. According to them, innocent teachers are being made scapegoats while those responsible for the corruption face no consequences. One protesting teacher said, “Exams should be for those who have been waiting for jobs for years. Why should employed individuals like us have to reappear for an exam because of someone else’s fault?”
Clash with the Education Minister’s Statement
The protestors have strongly opposed a recent statement by Education Minister Bratya Basu. The Minister claimed that most teachers are willing to retake the exam. However, representatives of the “Qualified Teacher Rights Forum” have refuted this claim, stating that none of their members have expressed such a desire. They have challenged the Minister to release a list of names if so many teachers are indeed willing to sit for the exam.
In this situation, the future of the dismissed teachers hangs in a state of deep uncertainty. Their hunger strike has created a new crisis in the state’s education system, and a resolution is now eagerly awaited.
