Bihar: Teachers Stage Protests To Demand Govt Employee Status, Withdrawal Of Recent Suspensions

On Saturday, teachers from the state-run schools in Bihar demonstrated at block offices all over the districts to demand the government's employment status for all contractual educators who have worked for a number of years in these educational institutions.

The immediate withdrawal of all departmental actions including suspension against several teachers recently was demanded by the protesters. They also warned the administration of intensifying the agitation if their demands were not accepted.

What do the teachers want?

TET Primary Teachers' Association convener Raju Singh told PTI, "Almost all teachers' associations in the state had unanimously decided to protest against the department's recent decisions. Teachers of government schools in the state staged dharnas outside their respective block offices today. They also burnt effigies of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav."

He said that one of the slogans raised by the teachers included,  "demanding government employee status to all contractual teachers and immediate withdrawal of departmental actions."

Singh reportedly claimed that the state education department initiated action against those teachers who raised their voices against the recent decisions, including the suspension of educators.

“We also demand that the department should immediately stop engaging school teachers in other governmental activities, including election-related work. Teachers have already started offering their resignations in those areas where they are being engaged in non-teaching activities," Singh said. 

Why were some teachers suspended?

 In order to increase the diligence of teachers and officials as well as improve the educational atmosphere of state-run schools, the education department has recently announced a series of stringent measures.

The government had recently directed district magistrates across the state not to engage school teachers and employees of the state education department for the document verification work of candidates who appeared for the ‘school teachers recruitment (2023) examination. The test was recently conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC).