The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has been conducting large-scale teachers‘ recruitment in Bihar since mid-2023. However, what was supposed to be a process to fill teaching positions with qualified candidates has turned into a channelling exercise to weed out undeserving individuals who managed to manipulate the system to secure jobs.
One of the key issues that have come to light is the appointment of teachers from outside the state through the Teachers‘ Recruitment Exam (TRE) – 1 & 2, despite not meeting the criteria of at least 60% marks in the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET). The documents of these teachers are now under scrutiny, and discrepancies are being detected across districts on a daily basis.
The exact number of teachers who have been removed or are in the process of being removed for not meeting the required conditions is not known. However, it is feared that the number could be in the hundreds, given the pace at which discrepancies are being uncovered and teachers are being dismissed. The lack of clarity on the issue is further compounded by the fact that the apex posts of regional deputy directors for Bihar Education Service officials in eight of the nine divisions are under additional charge, leading to a lack of awareness of the issues surrounding teachers‘ recruitment.
The situation has escalated to the extent that the Patna High Court has intervened, directing the state government and the BPSC to file affidavits within four weeks on a writ petition seeking the cancellation of the results and supplementary results of 8000 computer science teachers appointed through TRE-1. The court has expressed concerns over discrepancies in the results and has instructed the authorities to address the issue promptly.
In a separate development, the High Court had previously stayed the BPSC’s advertisement for teachers‘ recruitment in February 2024 and directed the state government to address the issue of weightage for guest teachers similar to contract teachers. This decision has added another layer of complexity to the ongoing challenges faced by the education department in Bihar.
Furthermore, a vigilance probe involving teachers appointed between 2006 and 2015 through panchayat-Raj institutions and urban local bodies has hit a roadblock. While nearly 1.87 lakh teachers have cleared the competency test to secure government employee status, the investigation has faced challenges, with forged documents being detected and FIRs being filed against accused individuals.
Despite these challenges, the education department in Bihar continues its efforts to improve the condition of schools in the state. The ongoing issues surrounding teachers‘ recruitment highlight the need for transparency, accountability, and adherence to established criteria to ensure that only deserving candidates are appointed to teaching positions.