Agitating teachers in Bihar gets backing of ruling parties

Five out of seven parties of the ruling grand alliance including Congress and Left parties say the government must engage in talks with agitating teachers to resolve the issues

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Bihar teachers

Patna: Five out of seven parties of the ruling grand alliance (GA) in the state have expressed their reservations over the new rules for recruitment of teachers in the state. The parties, which opposed the newly approved Bihar state school teachers’ (appointment, transfer, disciplinary action and service conditions) rules 2023, are the Congress, CPI(ML), CPI, CPM and Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) and have thrown their support to the agitating teachers.

Around 4 lakh teachers, recruited by the urban local bodies (ULBs) and panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) are already on a warpath against the state government’s decision to conduct the recruitment test by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) to appoint about 1.78 lakh teachers under the new recruitment policy, claiming that the government’s reluctance to budge from its stand would further spoil the educational scenario in the state by demoralising the existing teachers and forcing them to go on stir and join the litigations.

Also Read: Bihar teachers intensify stir, file case against new recruitment policy

While the Congress party dismissed the recruitment policy faulty and supported the agitating teachers demand for granting them the state employees’ status without undergoing any examination by the BPSC, the CPI (ML) and the CPI have urged the state government to hold talks with the teachers and resolve the stalemate. HAM-S leader and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said that the government must appoint all those TET and BTET qualified students, besides those passed the B Ed and M Ed courses.

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Akhilesh Prasad Singh said that he would meet CM Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and urge them to find the all-agreeable way out for the stalemate. State secretary of the CPM Lalan Chaudhary said it was unfortunate that the state government had launched crackdown on the democratically protesting teachers instead of engaging in talks to resolve the issues.

Also Read: Unfazed Bihar govt firm on new recruitment norms for teachers

Meanwhile, teachers have decided to continue their protest despite warnings from the state government. They are also waiting for the hearing of a case they have filed in the Patna high court against the new recruitment policy.