Schools reopen amid shortage of teachers, no summer break extension this year
Telegraph | 4 June 2025
The state government, which had extended the summer vacation in schools for the last three years, did not do so this year.
An education department official said the decision was driven by the need to complete the syllabus on time despite a shortage of teachers.
Many schools, already struggling with a teacher shortage because of a pause in recruitment over the last nine years, were hit harder after the school service commission barred 1,804 of them from returning to school following a Supreme Court order on April 17.
The summer vacation was extended in the last three years because of the heat.
This year, the vacation started earlier than usual, on April 30, because of a surge in temperature.
The education official said: “Many school heads are concerned about how they will complete syllabuses following the drop in the number of teachers. They are more worried about the semesterised plus-II syllabus introduced last year. Therefore, it would not be proper to extend the summer vacation.”
Raja De, headmaster of Mitra Institution in Bhowanipore, said one of the two teachers who were recruited based on the 2016 selection test had been barred from attending school following the apex court order.
“At a time when we already have inadequate teachers, removing a full-time teacher from duty has left us further handicapped. Classes have to be held in full swing to complete the syllabus in the next three months. We are thinking of engaging a part-time teacher to fill the void. A managing committee meeting will be held to discuss this soon. It is good that the summer vacation has not been extended,” De said.
No teacher selection test has been held since 2016 because of a barrage of court cases against the tests held nine years ago.
Supriya Panja, headmaster of The Park Institution, said they were short of a chemistry teacher at the plus-II level because the incumbent is among the 1,804 barred from returning to school.
On April 3, the Supreme Court terminated 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs because, it said, the entire recruitment process was “vitiated”.
On April 17, the apex court modified the order and said teachers “not specifically found tainted” could return to schools and work till December.
“Holding chemistry classes at the plus-II level has been a challenge. We have to make do with the available strength and hope to complete the syllabus on time. Now that classes have resumed without any extension of the summer vacation, we have to focus on finishing the syllabus,” said Panja.
On Monday, 15,403 teachers “not specifically found tainted” and allowed to work till December, returned to their schools, said an official of the secondary education board.
A section of these teachers had been staging protests in front of Bikash Bhavan, the education secretariat, since May 7, because the state government had asked them to clear a fresh recruitment test to retain their jobs beyond December.
The 15,403 have to juggle their responsibilities — they have to teach as well as find time to prepare for the fresh recruitment exam to retain their jobs.
“The state government has filed a petition seeking a review of the Supreme Court order. If the petition is rejected, these 15,403 teachers have to participate in the fresh recruitment exercise. The state government will announce the dates of the tests, based on the outcome of the review petition,” said an education department official.
Ashim Nanda, headmaster of Dum Dum Shree Aurobindo Vidyamandir, said the three teachers of his school who got relief till December came to school on Monday.
“We are relieved the three teachers at the higher secondary level have joined. Finishing the syllabus at the segmented plus-II level is a big challenge. Maybe the vacation has not been extended this year because of this,” said Nanda.
State higher secondary students will write their first plus-II exam under the semester system next year.