66 post-60 individuals, including four deceased, get appointments as primary teachers in Bengal

Kolkata, Jan 18 (IANS) In an unprecedented development, appointment letters for primary teachers in West Bengal have been issued to 66 individuals who are above 60 years of age, while four of them have passed away.

All these 66 individuals, including the four dead, have been issued the appointment letters by the Hooghly District Primary School Council, the district wing of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE).

In the appointment letters it has also been said that their employment will be in effect from 2014.

On investigations it was found that the root of this was in petition filed at Calcutta High Court was back in 1983 during the previous Left Front government headed by Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.

The entire panel of the primary teachers elected in that year was cancelled, following which some of selected candidates approached the Calcutta High Court.

The WBBPE officials are maintaining a total silence in the matter.

However, an official, on strict condition of anonymity, pointed out that probably the development has some relation to the court case filed in 1995, the order for which had come recently. However, he was unable to furnish further details.

Now, the question comes to whether these persons will really be able to join services in different primary schools despite getting the appointment letter, since the official retirement of primary teachers in state run-school is 60.

The All Bengal Teachers’ Association (ABTA) has claimed that the development proves in what an inefficient manner the state Education Department and the various boards and councils under it are operating.

"This is an unprecedented incident in the history of West Bengal. We demand a thorough probe in the matter," an ABTA office bearer said.

CPI-M Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya ridiculed the state government and said that such things happen when the basis of an entire system is nothing but corruption.

Till the time the report was filed there was no comment from the Trinamool Congress in the matter.

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