Baby Chakraborty, KalimNews, September 14, 2025, Kolkata : In a significant development, over 13,500 candidates from various states across India have traveled to West Bengal to appear for the state-level recruitment exams for Assistant Teachers in Classes 11 and 12, scheduled to take place on September 14, 2025. This influx of candidates follows a similar pattern from the previous day, with a significant number of job seekers coming from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan. The number of candidates traveling to Bengal underscores the severe shortage of government job opportunities in their home states, leading many to look towards West Bengal as a viable option for securing employment.
A large portion of these candidates has come to Bengal for the Hindi-medium vacancies, which had 370 vacancies for today’s exam. Of the total 13,517 candidates, the majority are from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, with significant participation due to the shortage of such vacancies in their home states.
The exam is part of the West Bengal School Service Commission’s (WBSSC) new recruitment drive for Assistant Teacher posts. This particular examination follows the Supreme Court’s annulment of 26,000 teacher appointments from the 2016 WBSSC recruitment process, which was deemed flawed due to large-scale corruption. As a result, there has been a renewed push for transparent and fair recruitment, and West Bengal has become a beacon for job seekers in other states.
According to sources, 5,65,000 candidates from across the country are competing for a total of 12,514 vacancies in this exam, which will be held across 36 subjects. The primary objective of the drive is to fill 35,726 assistant teacher posts in state-aided and sponsored schools. Many candidates, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have expressed frustration at the slow pace of government recruitment in their respective states, further motivating their decision to travel to Bengal for this opportunity.
The reason for the large out-of-state participation is not just about the availability of vacancies but also the recruitment process in Bengal, which has garnered attention for its commitment to fairness and transparency, particularly after the scandal that led to the cancellation of the 2016 appointments. Several candidates from states like Uttar Pradesh have spoken about the dearth of job opportunities and the lengthy waiting periods for government posts in their states. “It’s very difficult to find a job in Uttar Pradesh. The process takes years, and there is no transparency. So, when I heard about this opportunity in Bengal, I decided to come,” said Ravi Kumar, a candidate from Kanpur.
State Education Minister Bratya Basu weighed in on the situation, attributing the influx of candidates to the “lack of employment opportunities” in BJP-ruled states and the “double-engine government” effect, where political parties in power in multiple regions fail to provide adequate employment opportunities. He further pointed out that Bengal’s large number of vacancies, particularly in the education sector, has attracted candidates from neighboring states, making it a key destination for job seekers looking to secure government jobs.
The political significance of this recruitment drive is also notable. As West Bengal continues to face the aftermath of the 2016 recruitment scandal, the state is determined to restore its image as a region committed to transparency and accountability in its recruitment processes. The participation of such a large number of candidates from other states not only highlights the chronic unemployment problem across the country but also puts Bengal’s recruitment system under a microscope. Many of these candidates expressed their frustrations at the poor state of recruitment in their home states and highlighted how Bengal’s system offers a more streamlined process for securing public sector jobs.
In a further boost to the credibility of the process, the WBSSC has assured the candidates that the exams will be fair and transparent, a statement that has been welcomed by many job seekers who had previously faced disappointment and frustration in their respective states due to corruption and inefficiency in the recruitment processes. The 2016 scam, which saw the cancellation of 26,000 teacher appointments, remains fresh in the minds of many, making this new recruitment drive all the more significant for the state.
The recruitment process is also part of the larger effort to address the state’s educational infrastructure needs, with many of the newly recruited teachers expected to fill vacancies in state-aided and sponsored schools. This is a crucial step towards improving the quality of education in the state and addressing the shortage of qualified teachers.
However, the participation of such a significant number of candidates from other states also highlights a larger trend of migration for jobs across the country, with candidates from regions like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand seeking opportunities in states where job creation is more robust. This job migration could be seen as an indication of the deepening unemployment crisis across many parts of India, especially in states where government recruitment is not as competitive or efficient.
As the exam unfolds today, nearly 2.5 lakh candidates are expected to appear for various posts. The fact that candidates are willing to travel from across the country for a recruitment drive in Bengal emphasizes both the severity of the employment crisis in many states and the attractiveness of the opportunities presented by West Bengal’s public sector.
In conclusion, the large participation of out-of-state candidates in this exam reflects widespread unemployment issues in many parts of India, particularly in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the government recruitment process remains stagnant. The recruitment drive in West Bengal, bolstered by its transparent and fair process, has provided hope to thousands of job seekers, reaffirming the state’s role in addressing the unemployment crisis and fulfilling its commitment to providing employment opportunities for all. As the state continues to recover from the effects of the 2016 recruitment scandal, this recruitment process may very well define West Bengal’s future in terms of educational employment and government transparency.