Bihar Govt. school teachers will remain posted at their current locations: CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addresses after distribution of appointment letters to newly recruited teachers in Patna, Wednesday (November 20, 2024).
| Photo Credit: PTI

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday (November 20, 2024) announced that Bihar government school teachers, appointed since 2006 through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), would continue to be posted at their current locations even after securing the status of government employees upon successfully clearing competency tests. The government had earlier announced five mandated competency tests for all the teachers.

On November 19, the Patna High Court provided relief to aggrieved school teachers who had challenged the government’s transfer policy and the subsequent guidelines issued by the Education Department. The court fixed the next date of hearing on January 21, 2025, asking the government as well to provide its reply on the matter.

On the same day, Bihar Education Minister Sunil Kumar also announced that “transfers and postings of teachers would be done together for all teachers only after the completion of five competency tests for parity, and there could be changes in the policy”.

The teachers’ transfer policy was initially scheduled to be rolled out in December.

According to the policy, all teachers were required to provide their choice of location in order of preference through the department’s portal.

“It was our government that decided to carry out recruitment through PRIs and ULBs, and in 2023, we took a policy decision that the time was right to carry out the recruitment of teachers through the government. Although the government paid salary to them earlier as well, the appointments were not done by it. When we started direct recruitment via the BPSC (Bihar Public Service Commission), we felt that the old teachers should also get their due, and they were asked to take simple tests [the five competency tests] to secure the status of government employees,” Mr. Kumar said during a function organised in Patna on Wednesday for the distribution of appointment letters to teachers who had cleared the competency tests in the first phase.

The government had previously announced three competency tests, which was later increased to five, although only two tests have been held so far.

As many as 1,86,818 teachers have cleared the first phase of the competency test, while 65,716 teachers cleared it in the second phase.

Bihar has appointed 3,67,143 school teachers through PRIs and ULBs in a phased manner since 2006, as government schools were short of teachers when Mr. Kumar’s government came to power in the State in November 2005.

The Chief Minister said “about 85,000 old teachers” still needed to take the competency tests to secure their position as government employees. However, despite their protests, the issue of seniority of teachers who had worked for up to 18 years remains unclear. “The date of joining of old teachers will be communicated through a separate notification,” Additional Chief Secretary, Education Department, S. Siddharth said.