The first BJP government in Bengal has appointed chairpersons to 19 district primary school councils (DPSCs), which had remained vacant since the change of guard.
Most appointees are teachers or have been involved in education-related work for years. Many of them also have longstanding links with the RSS, the BJP’s ideological fountainhead.
The chairpersons of DPSCs play a significant role in appointing primary school teachers and non-teaching staff, as well as in overseeing primary education at the grassroots level across the state.
“We have very carefully appointed chairpersons to DPSCs in 19 districts, keeping in mind their administrative abilities and their association with education. They are either teachers or have been involved in education-related work for years and are familiar with local issues and (have) good public connections,” school education minister Dipak Barman told The Telegraph on Monday.
BJP sources said the appointments were important for both the party and the government for several reasons. First, the Trinamool Congress regime had faced serious allegations over the recruitment of primary school teachers. Calcutta High Court ordered the cancellation of 32,000 teacher appointments during the last regime. The BJP now faces the challenge of ensuring a free and fair recruitment process.
Another major initiative the government is pursuing is revising the school syllabus, including at the primary level. The school education system will be aligned with a nationalistic outlook across the state, a source said.