School teachers will not participate in direct politics: Bengal CM

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that newly recruited schoolteachers will not be permitted to participate in “direct politics” or contest elections to panchayats, municipalities, the state legislative assembly and Parliament. The decision was made on Wednesday in a state cabinet meeting.

The restriction will apply only to future appointments, while serving teachers already involved in politics will retain their existing rights. The provision will also be incorporated in the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment rules by the government.

This proposed approach by the Bengal’s CM is to improve the educational standards and restore integrity and ethics of the teaching profession. “We want to strengthen education,” he also added, mentioning that the state's education system faced a decline in the  previous government bodies. 

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SSC recruitment rules to change

Confirming how the decision would be implemented, Adhikari said, “We have included this in the recruitment rules of the school service commission.” He also clarified that the restriction would not be applied retrospectively to teachers already participating in politics, stating, “We are not going to curb their rights.”

Adhikari has said the state government was following the practices adopted by other states in the country. “This is not allowed in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” he said, citing the two states while explaining the policy change. Amid ongoing process of teachers recruitment in government secondary and higher-secondary schools, CM announced the new approach. 

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Legal issues persist

This new approach has raised questions on teachers’ democratic rights. Present rules of West Bengal allow teachers and non-teaching staff to take part in democratic practices including contesting elections subject to compliance to relevant rules and prior permission from the committee.

Legal experts have raised a question on the proposed approach made in the cabinet meeting. The concern is whether it can be implemented in the recruiting rules or need amalgamation of the existing law. It will also be a concern for the teaching staff hiring in future.