A fresh counselling of aspiring school teachers, who are in the waiting list of the state school service commission (SSC), will be conducted this month for filling vacant teaching posts in classes IX and X in state-aided schools.

Many of the 300-odd candidates who had participated in an indefinite sit-in off Maidan between February and March before the Lok Sabha polls are likely to be called for the counselling, a source in the school education department said.

The indefinite sit-in, held under the banner of SSC Yuva Chhatra Adhikar Manch, was organised near Calcutta Press Club along Mayo Road to demand jobs for themselves as they claimed several of the selected candidates had scored less than those on the waiting list.

They had also demanded fresh rounds of counselling to accommodate waiting list candidates as several posts of assistant teachers were lying vacant in several state-aided schools. Since the recruitment tests were held nearly three years ago, the protestors had also had urged the school education department to publish the updated vacancy list.

A notification was issued by the West Bengal School Service Commission on Thursday announcing about the fresh round of counselling to be held on September 20, 23, 24 and 25.

Nearly 1,500 posts are lying vacant and the same number of candidates are likely to be called for the counselling, Saumitra Sarkar, the SSC chairman said.

Prakash Ghosh, one of the members of the SSC Yuva Chhatra Adhikar Manch and a participant in the sit-in, said the counselling was being held in response to the demand of agitating aspiring teachers.

Sarkar, however, said the selection of the candidates who would be called for the interviews had been prepared only on the basis of merit.