With the general elections round the corner, the West Bengal government has decided to spend a huge chunk of the Central fund for the recruitment of 50,000 ‘‘additional part-time teachers’’ under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).While the SSA was launched in 1999, its execution began in 2002 and the state government has already received Rs 550 crore for such schemes. ‘‘Earlier, we used these funds for recruiting regular teachers who now number 1.8 lakh,’’ said Primary School Education Minister Kanti Biswas.The Opposition believes that this recruitment drive is meant to reap benefits for the LF government. For, if the drive goes on schedule, the recruitment for teachers for Class I-V (Higher Secondary pass) and for Class V-X (graduates of different streams), would be done before April.Various teachers’ associations have also pointed out that ‘‘these teachers would be recruited from the CPI(M)’s students’ wing, the Student Federation of India (SFI). ‘‘This gives them an opportunity to rope in party cadre through temporary job schemes,’’ said West Bengal Head Master Teachers’ Association general secretary Ashok Kumar Maity.The teachers’ association of Forward Bloc, a major constituent of the CPI(M)-led Left Front, shares Maity’s view. The association’s former general secretary S. Ghoshal said: ‘‘We have similar views and want to put it across to our state party leadership.’’Another Left party, Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), feels:‘‘It is a programme to give the cadre a justification to work for the party in the election year’’. SUCI plans to launch an agitation on the issue.Another fact too significant to be ignored is that according to the scheme, the school education department has to set up village education committees with local panchayat members as their chairpersons. And among the 17 zilla parishads, 333 panchayat samitis and 3,354 gram panchayats, more than 90 per cent belong to the LF. ‘‘So you can understand what would happen at the recruitment level,’’ said Maity. Since 1999, the state government has already received about Rs 550 crore for the schemes.If sources are to be believed, project officers at various districts have instructed that these ‘‘additional teachers cannot be given an assignment of teaching, unless they have brilliant academic records.’’
