Kolkata, Jan 27 : In order to combat the acute shortage of teachers in the hills of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong in North Bengal, a spate regional school service commission has been constituted for the hills.

The term of the regional school service commission exclusively for the hills will be till January 2028. The seven-member commission will be headed by retired teacher and Kalimpong resident Vijay Kumar Rai, according to a notification issued by the West Bengal Education Department.

Welcoming the development, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration's (GTA) chief executive and Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) chief Anit Thapa said that the long-standing demand for the hills has been finally fulfilled.

'The commission will work to strengthen the education system in West Bengal. The people of the hills have started realizing how important it is to have a cordial relationship with the state government,' said Thapa, whose party has a political understanding with the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Another popular leader from the hills, Harka Bahadur Chhetri, also welcomed the decision for a separate regional school service commission for the hills.

'This will make the process of appointment of teachers in the state-run schools in the hills smoother. At the same time, the school boards in the hills will be able to operate with bigger autonomy,' Chhetri said.

Currently, there are around 1,000 primary schools, 300 junior high schools and 700 high schools in the hills.

/IANS