How teachers' recruitment scandal 'dashed' a Bengal family's dreams

By Atanu Roy*

Rabi is a member of our extended family, rather our ‘inner’ family. He has been driving our car for many many years. Sometimes I liked to drive and drop my two sons to their school, but most of the days I had been preoccupied and Rabi was there to help me out.

He had a dream ... to impart good education to his two sons and achieve social mobility, he wished his sons to do something better than him.

One day, he spoke about his dream, and I suggested bringing down his sons here from Midnapur village, and if possible to get admitted to a Kolkata school. “That may not be possible now”, he quipped, “Then dada, I have to bring the entire family, including my wife and my parents. I cannot afford it”.

No issue Rabi, let them clear class XII and get admitted for graduation, that was my prompt solution.

Time passed fast, I migrated to Singapore, but kept in touch with Rabi. Whenever we came to Kolkata, Rabi was there in the airport to pick us up. “My sons have written for Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations”, he told me. "They did quite well."

Meanwhile, there were a lot of rumours going around in our Midnapore village. Agents, said are to be belonging to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), take big money (Rs 15 lakh plus), and assure SSC recruitments. I was taken aback, and could not believe it. TMC is already in deep problems because of this scandal, and this seemed absurd.

On my next visit, Rabi was angry and frustrated. Both his sons did not get calls though they achieved good scores. His next door neighbour managed to get it, and became a teacher.

I gave him hope… One day people will protest and a backlash is inevitable. Such corruption will not come to stay and will get exposed soon.

I helped him with some extra money with which he initiated new efforts for his sons to look for alternatives.

His first son started a car hire business and his second son completed a MBA diploma from St Xaviers and bagged a good job in the private sector.

This is the real story of thousands of aspirants from middle class and marginalized families of Bengal, who gave a honest try to be SSC teachers but were grossly betrayed by the current regime under the banner of the SSC outfit.

The Supreme court chief justice has called it a systemic fraud, which has brought down the teachers recruitment process to such a low.

It's true, West Bengal never faced so many doomed days, since the change of hand from the Left Front.

What we people are discussing since last many days, Sheikh Shajahan, Uttam Hazra … and the numbers of SSC spurious teachers keep fluctuating like Dear Lottery numbers, some times 5250, sometimes 8861.

Few of us remember our Poet’s dream, “Where our mind is without fear”. on this 25th Baisakh.

No less critical is Rabi’s dream too: “Amar santan jeno thake dudhe bhate”.

---

*Based in Singapore

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

School closures across states raise concerns amid Govt of India claims of improved access

By A Representative A recent report has raised concerns over the closure and merger of government schools in several Indian states, particularly in Bihar, where a significant number of institutions have reportedly been shut down or earmarked for closure.

Health activist group raises concerns over HPV vaccination drive, seeks temporary halt

By A Representative Swasthya Adhikar Manch, a public health advocacy group, has urged the Union government to ensure greater accountability and transparency in the ongoing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, and called for its temporary suspension pending a comprehensive review. In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the group flagged what it described as unresolved concerns surrounding the nationwide rollout of the HPV vaccine, which began on February 28, 2026. The campaign targets 14-year-old girls and involves administering Gardasil, a quadrivalent vaccine intended to protect against certain strains of HPV linked to cervical cancer.

Health Day ads spark row as NAPi targets Britannia campaign, criticizes celebrity endorsement

By A Representative The advocacy group Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) has raised concerns over what it describes as misleading advertising of ultra-processed food products (UPFs), particularly those high in sugar, fat and salt, calling for stricter regulations and an end to such promotions across media platforms.

Search This Blog