Patna: The Bihar Secondary Teachers’ Association (BSTA) leader and former MP Shatrughan Prasad Singh said that publication of advertisement by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) for recruitment of teachers would lead to filing of another set of cases in the Patna high court.
The BPSC and the state education department has been holding meetings to finalise the terms and conditions and format of questions to be asked for the aspirants for about 1.70 lakh teachers in primary to higher secondary schools. BPSC chairman Atul Prasad said that the advertisement of teachers recruitment would be released shortly and will be be out by December. The BPSC has planned to prepare the final merit list of teachers by the year-end.
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Citing inherent flaws in the newly approved Teachers recruitment rules 2023, Sinha, also BSTA general secretary, said that the process of recruitment would be caught in the legal wrangle, as the government had deliberately left some inconsistencies so that the process got embroiled in a prolonged legal battle.
Sinha said that the matter will go to court for two reasons. The first, the education department went beyond its constitutional rights to ban teachers’ agitation. “It is a violation of fundamental rights,” he said and added that many anomalies in the new teacher appointment rules need to be set at right by the court.
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Clause 8 of Teacher recruitment rules 2023
Sinha said that the BPSC or the education department has not yet decided any process for the teachers already working. The new teacher recruitment rules 2023, published recently, clearly says that the teachers, who are appointed by the urban local bodies (ULBs) or panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) will be eligible to participate in the examination. However, the education department would decide what will be the process for allowing them to participate in the examination. “There is no clarity of the teachers already working in schools would be given seniority for working in the schools for 20-25 years. Or will they be given a higher status? I have given it in writing to education department, additional chief secretary, Deepak Kumar Singh to clarify it and stop the recruitment process till then,” said Sinha
All teacher organizations are united and ready to campaign in Patna
Sinha said that the BPSC chairman has done even more amazing things. “One lakh 78 thousand posts were created in the administrative category. There is no mention of restoration in class 6-8, that means the posts in this class will remain vacant. The rule of promotion is written in 2020. It has been said in it that all the posts will be filled by promotion. It is a matter of 100% promotion to the post of headmaster. But some headmasters were reinstated by the government, However, they are not being paid salary,” contended the BSTA leader.
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“The headmasters are not getting the benefit of any government service facility. The same thing is in this new rule. No teacher will have to face losses. Some of our teachers who are already employed have taken a decision. No teacher will take suicidal steps. If the government puts pressure on them, around four and a half lakh teachers would pour in Patna and gherao the state legislature,” said the BSTA leader.
Why is the Grand Alliance cheating?
Singh alleged that the government is deliberately provoking lakhs of teachers of the state to strike work. “We have appealed to the teachers to stay away from entering in to direct confrontation with the government now. We have decided to take democratic route to protest,” said the BSTA leader, wondering why the parties, which earlier supported the cause of teachers are now changing their stand.
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“Why is the Grand Alliance cheating? Two months have elapsed since the teachers have been protesting against the new recruitment rules, but the government is not holding talks with the union. This is an attack on democracy. The big discrepancy is that everyone should be given the status of a state worker under clause eight. Until adjustments are made, the union will not allow further action. Give all the four lakh teachers the status of state workers without examination. Those teachers who are candidates will also go to the court,” said BSTA leader.
