BPSC announces recruitment schedule, teachers’ bodies vow to intensify stir
Nearly a dozen petitions have already been filed in the Patna High Court against the new rules and the matter will come up for hearing later in June after the summer vacation.
Hours after the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) issued the advertisement late Tuesday evening for the appointment of around 1.70 lakh school teachers and announced the timeline for completion of the recruitment process by December this year, school teachers’ bodies in the state resolved to fight it out in the court as well as the streets.
Nearly four lakh teachers appointed since 2006 through Panchayati raj bodies and urban local bodies want that they be given the status of the state government employees, as laid down under the Bihar state school teachers (appointment, transfer, disciplinary action, and service condition) rules, 2023, without any exam rider, as they have already cleared several exams and put in up to 16 years of service.
Nearly a dozen petitions have already been filed in the Patna High Court against the new rules and the matter will come up for hearing later in June after the summer vacation. The working teachers’ bodies as well as another body of around two lakh Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) qualified candidates are so far firm that they would not take yet another exam, while the government has categorically made it clear that the exam was the only way to avail the status. Now the question is who blinks first.
“It is yet another shoddy attempt of the state government to hide its failures to address crucial issues confronting the education sector. All the teacher bodies are united and we will launch massive protest, including gherao of the Assembly during the monsoon session and protests outside the residence of ministers and legislators. We will also organise a big rally in the state capital as part of our continuing protests. The government should first admit its failure if it feels the teachers appointed by the same government and teaching since 2006 were not up to the mark and the BPSC will churn out gold,” said president of the Bihar State Secondary Teachers’ Association, Shatrughan Prasad Singh, who is also a former MP.
As per new rules of recruitment, teachers appointed since 2006 through panchayati raj bodies will have to clear an examination to be conducted by the BPSC in order to be qualified as a state government employee.
Questioning the new rules, he said these had no provision of any promotional avenue and respect for seniority of teachers who have already worked for 10-15 years, while it had abolished the post of physical education teachers and librarians. “When a teacher having worked for 16 years is already drawing higher scale than what the government offers under the new rule, why should he or she go in for a new appointment? The fact is that the government wants to invite litigations over this so that the appointment process could get stalled. How could the same government discriminate with its own teachers? They were all appointed as per provisions laid down by the government only,” he said.
Additional chief secretary Dipak Kumar Singh said that separate rules would be issued for physical instructors in middle school, librarians, lab assistants etc. “The government is working for the teachers and education only. They should have patience. The government is creating more space for teachers, but not removing those already working. Ultimately, all categories will benefit,” he said.
Left parties, which support the Grand Alliance (GA) government in Bihar, as well as the opposition BJP have already announced support for teachers.
The BPSC has announced that for the fresh recruitment of teachers for primary, secondary and higher secondary schools appointed through competitive exam, the applications will be invited from June 15 and the exam is scheduled in August, while results are likely in December.