The new West Bengal government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party has opted to decentralize the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to enhance efficiency and transparency in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools. This decision involves reviving the previous system of operating WBSSC through five regional offices, which had been established during the Left Front regime in 1997.
Under the Trinamool Congress government, the five regional offices of WBSSC were rendered defunct, and all recruitment processes were centralized at the Commission’s headquarters in Salt Lake. The recent move by the new state government aims to reinstate the decentralization by empowering the regional offices to handle recruitment for state-run schools while key policy decisions will be made centrally at the headquarters in Salt Lake.
Additionally, the government plans to grant “autonomous” status to District Primary School Councils (DPSCs) for the recruitment of primary teachers in state-run schools. This shift from the previous centralized approach is intended to address irregularities that occurred during the Trinamool Congress regime, particularly in the recruitment of primary teachers.
The State Education Department has directed District Magistrates to identify tainted candidates who secured teaching and non-teaching positions in state-run schools through illicit means. These candidates will be required to repay the salaries received during their service along with accrued interest, as mandated by court orders in 2024 and 2025.
