The Bihar government has directed officials to strictly deal with teachers who threaten to organise protests and demonstrations against the new Bihar state school teachers (appointment, transfer, disciplinary action, and service condition) rules, 2023, under which all fresh recruitments will be carried out for which the advertisements are scheduled within a week.
“It has come to light through news reports that the teachers recruited through panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies will carry out protests and demonstrations. If any teacher or government employee resorts to protest and demonstration or any anti-government activity, take immediate action against them as per rules,” said the letter from additional chief secretary (education) Dipak Kumar Singh to all the regional deputy directors (RDDs) and district education officers (DEOs) on Tuesday.
Also Read: Bihar secondary school teachers plan statewide protests over pay scale, transfers
The letter is significant as the Bihar secondary teachers’ association along with primary teachers’ bodies have planned a phase-wide agitation against the new rules at the division level from May 20.
On May Day, teachers’ bodies protested at the district level across the state and wore black badges.
The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has already announced the syllabus for the recruitment of teachers and the advertisement for the secondary and higher secondary schools is likely to be issued in a couple of days for the competitive test.
The government wants to complete the exercise this year.
All the teachers appointed through BPSC will get better pay-scale and status of government employee.
However, teachers already appointed through PRIs and ULBs numbered around four lakh, are upset with the prospect of yet another exam after having served for up to 16 years.
“We will take legal recourse if the government plans to force its decisions. The teachers have cleared enough exams over the years and there is no need for yet another exam. All should be given the status of government employee,” said the former MP and president of the Bihar secondary teachers’ association Shatrughan Prasad Singh.
The political parties, including Grand Alliance (GA) constituents like the CPI-ML, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Opposition BJP have been backing the teachers’ demand for a rethink about them, though chief minister Nitish Kumar and education minister Chandrashekhar have categorically said there will be no changes.
“All fresh appointments of school teachers will be done through the BPSC and they will have the government employee status. The existing lot of teachers will also need to go through the process for upgrade as government employees, else they will get pay hike but not the status as the new lot,” the CM had earlier said.
The appointment of 1.78-lakh teachers announced by the government will cost the exchequer ₹10,623 crore.
This includes 33,186 in secondary schools and 57,618 in higher secondary schools, which the govt plans to complete this year.
For the existing lot of teachers appointed through the BPSC, there will be an option to take the uniform exam for an upgrade to get the status of government employees.
