There is an important update on the recruitment of teachers for higher secondary in West Bengal. A fresh merit list for the 12445 vacant posts is likely to be out soon. This is after the reservation for OBC in the state was reduced from 17 per cent to 7 per cent.
West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC) is likely to come up with a fresh merit list for appointment of higher secondary teachers, a senior official said on Wednesday. This decision is taken after the changes in OBC reservation rules of the state government.
The recruitment is for 12,445 vacant posts. The government has decided to cut down the OBC quota in recruitment from 17 per cent to 7 per cent. A new merit list is now being prepared to be released after this.
New merit list may change candidates’ rankings
The commission is re-evaluating the merit list issued on January 21 which was prepared under the reservation framework introduced by the previous TMC government.
The earlier committee had recommended appointment of 3,586 candidates, commission sources said. The new assessment might result in changes in the candidacy and rankings of some candidates already in the previous list.
Counseling of the candidates, who had already been interviewed, was stopped on August 13 and is likely to be resumed after the new merit list is out.
The commission is working quickly to meet the timeline for the recruitment process. “The Supreme Court has asked for the process to be completed by 31 May 2027. After the preparation of the merit list afresh, the SSC wants to speed up the remaining stages,” said an SSC official.
Secondary Teacher Recruitment Shortlist to Come Out Probably in September
The commission had asked the candidates last month to update their OBC sub-category information on the portal of the commission under the revision. “Following this, the commission is also likely to follow a similar process for recruitment to secondary school teaching jobs, 23,209 posts of which are vacant.
Candidates who cleared the selection exam held in September last year would be considered for interview under the revised reservation framework. The official said the shortlist for the secondary-level recruitment interview is expected to be released by the third week of September.
OBC Reservation Change: Recruitment Panel Reexamined
Initially, the recruitment process was initiated with the provision of 17 per cent OBC reservation. The then state government had issued a notification on 10 June 2025 fixing 10 per cent reservation for OBC-A and 7 per cent for OBC-B comprising 140 backward classes, he said. On 16 June 2025, applications opened for the 17 percent quota under the recruitment process for around 35,000 vacancies in secondary and higher secondary teaching.
The official said West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had announced in May this year that OBC reservation for 66 communities would be changed to a particular percentage. However, this change in the reservation regime required the commission to review the recruitment panel and re-draw the schedule for the future rounds of interview and counseling.