Call of duty: Jobless staffers in Kolkata back at school to help colleagues amid teacher recruitment scam

KOLKATA: Unwavering in their responsibility, several teachers and staffers from the 2016 recruitment panel returned to school, setting aside their emotions on humanitarian grounds. Many of them said that their schools would face trouble during the exam season, which prompted them to return to their duties. A Bengali teacher, who did not want to be named, said, "This is something very humiliating. Friends and family members keep talking about the scam in front of me as if I was also part of it because I lost my job. Can you tell me why we should be punished for an offence for which we are not responsible? However, I returned to the school because I have certain responsibilities that I can't overlook."A biology teacher of a central Kolkata school, who was seen at the doorstep of a classroom, expressed concern over the new syllabus of the semester system and the expected disruption in practical classes. "I can't explain my situation, but I am concerned for my students as they have just been promoted to class XII, and the syllabus is absolutely new to them. I wonder why no one even bothers about the future of these students. Initially, I felt like never returning to the campus again, but when the headmaster called me and requested me to attend school, I didn't think twice. Today, I did exam duty and took scheduled classes. My colleagues behaved with me nicely to make me feel that I am also a part of this teachers' room."Subal Chandra Mandal, the only lab assistant at Taltala High School, said: "The headmaster called me since I am the only lab assistant to look after three labs of this school. So, I came today. But I am not being able to sleep as I have to pay EMIs every month. My daughter is only 7 now. I am feeling helpless."Heads of different schools stated that it became difficult to call the affected teachers and staffers, but since an official letter is yet to come from the state, many requested them not to discontinue. Mitra Institution (Main) headmaster Sayantan Das said, "We decided not to press the panic button since no letter has been received from the state. I have no words to express my gratitude to them for their sense of responsibility at this crucial time." Mitra Institution Bhawanipur headmaster, Raja Dey, said, "These teachers did not forget to serve the future generation of this society. So, they should not be punished for others' wrongdoings."Sanjay Barua, headmaster of Narayan Das Bangur Multipurpose School, invigilated in the summative exam due to the shortfall of teachers. "How do I call them to attend school when they are shattered? Existing teachers and I tried to fill the gap as much as possible."