Press release issued on behalf of Indian Secular Front Chairman and MLA Naushad Siddiqui.

The last Primary Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for recruitment in primary schools was held in 2022. Those who qualified in this examination have repeatedly demanded that recruitment should be conducted on the basis of merit through interviews. But it is evident that despite repeated applications, petitions, and protests, the state government has not paid heed to the voices of these job seekers.

In other cases, the government claims that recruitment is stalled due to ongoing court cases. However, in the case of the 2022 TET for primary school teachers, no litigation is pending. The qualified candidates only need to appear for the interview, after which recruitment should be made on the basis of merit. Yet, the government continues to delay, leaving more than 50,000 aspirants frustrated and hopeless.

According to a survey conducted by Bikash Bhavan, out of 49,368 primary schools in 22 districts, at least 2,215 schools either have no teachers or only one teacher. Naturally, many students are dropping out of school. Thus, while recruitment is stalled on one hand, primary schools are shutting down on the other, endangering the future of poor and marginalized children.

In this situation, TET-qualified candidates of 2022 gathered today in front of the Assembly in Kolkata to press their demands. They were peacefully voicing their grievances in a democratic manner when police dragged many aspiring teachers into prison vans.

The Indian Secular Front (ISF) has strongly condemned this police action and demanded the unconditional release of all those detained. ISF has further urged the state government to immediately conduct interviews and ensure recruitment of TET-qualified candidates, while also taking active steps to keep the primary education system functional.