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Education
West Bengal government orders depoliticisation of teachers in schools
✍️ The Economic Times
🗓 30 Oct 2026, 06:32 AM
👁 12
The West Bengal state government has issued a directive to remove political affiliations from school teachers, aiming to keep classrooms neutral.
Kolkata, Oct 30 — The West Bengal administration announced a policy to strip political party links from teachers employed in state‑run schools. The order, issued by the education department, mandates that educators refrain from any overt political activity while on duty and requires schools to verify the political status of their staff.
Officials said the move is intended to safeguard the learning environment from partisan influences and to ensure that teaching remains focused on academic outcomes. The directive also calls for regular monitoring and penalties for non‑compliance.
Education analysts, however, caution that a simple ban may not be sufficient. They argue that deeper structural reforms, such as transparent recruitment and professional development, are needed to prevent politicisation from re‑emerging in the future.
The policy has drawn mixed reactions from teachers' unions, some of which view it as an intrusion into personal freedoms, while others welcome the effort to keep classrooms apolitical. Implementation details are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Officials said the move is intended to safeguard the learning environment from partisan influences and to ensure that teaching remains focused on academic outcomes. The directive also calls for regular monitoring and penalties for non‑compliance.
Education analysts, however, caution that a simple ban may not be sufficient. They argue that deeper structural reforms, such as transparent recruitment and professional development, are needed to prevent politicisation from re‑emerging in the future.
The policy has drawn mixed reactions from teachers' unions, some of which view it as an intrusion into personal freedoms, while others welcome the effort to keep classrooms apolitical. Implementation details are expected to be released in the coming weeks.