Kolkata: The West Bengal government has decided to bar teaching and non-teaching staff of state-run schools from engaging in political activities, School Education Minister Deepak Barman said.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday and brings West Bengal in line with several other states where similar restrictions are in place, he told reporters.

"From now on, teaching and non-teaching staff of government-run and government-aided schools will come under the rule prohibiting association with political activities. This was already in practice in states other than West Bengal," Barman said.

Asked whether the BJP could have a teachers' cell in the state, he said, "We will discuss the issue."

Barman was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting at the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education building here to discuss administrative, infrastructural and academic issues.

The meeting was attended by chairpersons of primary education councils from 21 districts and heads of the state's primary and secondary education boards and the higher secondary education council.

Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay was also present.

Barman said the government was considering introducing a teacher accountability system in primary schools from the next academic year, under which teachers' performance could be linked to annual increments and promotions.

Explaining the proposed mechanism, he said teachers would have to account for the learning outcomes of students entrusted to them.

If 15 out of 20 students failed to acquire basic reading skills or showed inadequate academic progress, the teacher concerned would have to explain the reasons, he said.

"We will ask the teacher why their salary should be increased the following year. They will have to provide an explanation," Barman said, adding that the government would examine cases where students failed to improve.

The minister said the government was also considering a system under which a single teacher would be responsible for teaching all subjects to a class at the primary level, instead of appointing separate teachers for Bengali, English, geography and mathematics.

The minister further said the government was examining the reintroduction of the pass-fail system in schools, signalling a possible shift in the state's approach to assessing students' academic performance.

The appointment of at least 13,000 teachers in primary schools in the near future would bring the ratio down to around one teacher for every 20 students, he said, adding that the government would also work towards improving the situation at the secondary level.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.