Jobless teachers seek reinstatement in talks with Bengal govt amid ongoing protests

KOlkata, A six-member delegation of agitating teachers, who missed their jobs followers a recent sublime margaret court prescribe, met West Bengal education department officials on Monday in an attempt to find a resolution to the ongoing impasse. The members of the Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum held a two-hour meeting with the Principal Secretary of education department and another senior official at Bikash Bhavan, the headquarters of the education department in Salt Lake. However, the delegation remained non-committal about the outcome of the talks, asking the media to wait a little longer for their official response. Asked whether the discussions could be termed "positive," Forum member Chinmoy Mondal said, "We cannot say that. There were several issues which came up for discussion. The government stated its views and clarified what it can and cannot do in the present situation." He added, "We will hold internal discussions among ourselves and then communicate our official response shortly. Till then, we cannot say anything." The protesting teachers have been staging a sit-in near Bikash Bhavan for the past 20 days, demanding reinstatement. They have also refused to participate in a fresh recruitment examination as mandated by the Supreme Court. Tensions peaked on May 15 when around 1,000 protestors barged into the Bikash Bhavan compound and refused to let state government employees leave the premises until the government provided an assurance that the teachers would not have to appear for fresh recruitment tests. They also demanded that all "untainted" teachers be reinstated permanently. The situation escalated, and police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, leaving several protestors injured. "We have been demanding that deserving teachers be reinstated in their jobs. We are also requesting the government to take steps so that we do not have to write a fresh exam. We will try to understand the government's position on the fresh recruitment exam notification, which, as per the court's directive, must be issued by May 31," a protesting teacher said ahead of the meeting. Another protester said, "We are also exploring all legal options to retain our jobs." Education Minister Bratya Basu had on Sunday urged the agitators to repose faith in the government, assuring them that all legal steps were being explored to find a solution to the impasse. He reiterated that "untainted" teachers, who lost their jobs due to procedural lapses in the 2016 recruitment process, would continue to receive salaries and remain in service until the fresh recruitment process concludes by December 31. He also appealed to the agitators not to fall prey to political motives. Following a Calcutta High Court directive on Friday, the protesters had begun shifting their sit-in site to a designated area in Central Park in Salt Lake so that traffic movement is not disrupted. The appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff of state-aided schools were invalidated by the Supreme Court, which termed the recruitment process "vitiated and tainted". This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.