If you are an aspiring teacher in West Bengal you will have your antecedents checked by the police and also go through a medical examination before you get appointed. The teachers' associations in the state have denounced this notification that was published in the Kolkata Gazette on February 27.
"Why should the police ask about a teacher's personal and educational details?," asked Partha Pratim Ray, General Secretary of the Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA). "All that matters in a teacher's job is their educational qualification. Why should a cop cross-check that? The format provided allows the police to check not only the residence and personal details but their certificates as well," he said. "The medical test is another insulting addition. It asks a woman about their ovaries and the certification of their normalcy — how is this related to the profession? A state which has a female CM should be ashamed to ask such questions," he added.
The notification also says that those who hail from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal or other countries have to provide their residential details in their native country and the teachers think that this is nothing but an echo of the NRC. "While the CM says that she is against CAA she is silently favouring it through these notifications," he added. But more than anything the police verification and medical tests will complicate the process delaying appointments.
Dr Keshav Bhattacharya, General Secretary of West Bengal College and University Teachers'Association (WEBCUTA) said that this practice was abolished once during the left regime and the fact that it has resurfaced again is worrisome. "We denounce this notification totally and urge the government to immediately retract it. This is also a way to delay the process of appointments. The notification says that until one is cleared by the police or completes the medical test he or she will not be appointed, even if the probationary period is over," he said. "This is nothing but an attempt to influence the recruitment system," he added.
