West Bengal moves to merge Madrasah board with School Service Commission

The Merger Move

The West Bengal government is taking steps to dissolve the Madrasah Service Commission and combine it with the state School Service Commission. A senior official stated on Thursday that this plan will allow teacher hiring for madrasas to happen through the main school panel. The state cabinet cleared this plan at a recent meeting, but it needs changes in state laws to actually take effect.

Assembly Process

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari confirmed at a Tuesday event that the administration intends to remove the Madrasah Service Commission and fold it into the West Bengal School Service Commission. The School Education Department plans to present two separate bills in the state assembly. One bill will seek to cancel the existing West Bengal Madrasah Service Commission Act, while the second bill will introduce changes to the WBSSC Act. Education Department Principal Secretary Binod Kumar noted that the merger process should move forward within this year. After the assembly passes both bills, they will go to the governor for approval, followed by an official gazette notification. Kumar added that this integration aims to place teacher hiring for recognized madrasas under the standard WBSSC rules, helping the administration organize recruitment and create a more uniform system.

Context

State education boards in India frequently review how they handle teacher recruitment to ensure uniform standards across all government-backed institutions. Bringing separate recruitment panels together under a single umbrella organization is a common administrative step used by governments to simplify oversight and manage selection processes more centrally.