KOLKATA: The West Bengal School Education department has begun the process to verify applications from ‘non-tainted’ teaching staff who were in state government jobs before clearing the 2016 SSC test and rendered jobless, following a recent Supreme Court order, an official said on Sunday.The department has set a three-day deadline for completing the process which will end on Monday (June 23), the official said.The apex court in an order on April 3 invalidated the appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff but observed those who had served in state government departments in earlier jobs before opting for the 2016 recruitment test and not classified as “tainted”, can make fresh applications for being re-appointed in their earlier workplace and in same earlier position.A senior SSC official told PTI on Sunday that the School Education department on June 20 issued a communique to all district inspectors of schools “for verification and authentication” of applications by those candidates.The School Education department has thousands of such applications and prepared a database of each zone.“Now the database of every respective zone (district) has been forwarded to the DI office concerned and we have asked for verifying each and every name, whether he/she cleared the 2016 test, whether he/she figured in the untainted list and were on service till April 2,” the official elaborated.The DIs have to give their feedback in three days’ time by June 23, he added.The notice, a copy of which was made available to PTI, said, “The candidates who do not fall in the category of tainted have been given the opportunity to apply to their previous departments or autonomous bodies to continue their previous services.” “It appears that the candidates have submitted their applications to several authorities praying for joining in their previous government job. It further appears that some candidates have submitted their representations to the directorate praying for joining in their previous service. Even, some of them have submitted their representations to the DISSE (District Inspector of Schools Secondary Education). In order to streamline the work, it is decided to forward all the representations, received in the directorate, to the respective DISSE,” the notice said.“A list has been prepared at the directorate containing their names and other details. The said list along with their representations are hereby forwarded to the DISSE for perusal and actions as stated below,” it added.The untainted teachers had started sending applications from April 14-15.Earlier the SSC had sent lists of over 13,000 “not specifically tainted” (untainted) teachers who can teach at their own present workplaces and draw remuneration till December 31. The same teachers are currently at their workplaces while several of them are continuing their agitation for permanently being reinstated and refused to sit for any fresh recruitment exams.
