Nitish Kumar asks edu dept to recruit teachers with 35% quota for women

The effort is to complete the process before the model code of conduct for the upcoming state polls comes into force, said an official familiar with the matter

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday directed the education department to identify teachers’ vacancy at the earliest to initiate the process for holding exams for recruitment.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (File Photo)

“I have directed the education department to identify vacancies immediately so that the Teachers’ Recruitment Examination (TRE-4) could be held for filling them. The government has also made it clear that there would be 35% reservation in recruitment for women from the state,” Kumar said in a post on X.

The effort is to complete the process before the model code of conduct for the upcoming state polls comes into force, said an official familiar with the matter.

The Bihar government has carried out large-scale recruitment in schools in the last two years to fulfil its big job-creation promise, as unemployment and large-scale vacancies had hurt it badly in 2020 after the Opposition RJD played it up.

In TRE-1 & 2, 1.70-lakh and 70,000 teachers were appointed, while in TRE-3 against 87,774 vacancies, only 66,603 could be filled, while the rest of the positions remained vacant and would be carried forward in TRE-4.

TRE-4 is expected to provide opportunities to over 1.20-lakh teacher aspirants and the notification in this regard is expected soon, may be before the announcement of election in Bihar, said an official. It will include the vacancies carried forward from TRE-3.

As earlier, the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) will conduct the test for primary, middle, secondary and senior secondary teachers in schools. “TRE-4 will be held before the model of conduct comes into force in the state,” education minister Sunil Kumar told media persons— which means it would be held within the next one and half months.

Sunil Kunar said that the Nitish government has always worked for the welfare of the youth and the education department was an important job provider. “So far, 2.5-lakh teachers have already been recruited, while another 2.5-lakh fixed pay teachers also became government employees. Besides, head masters have also been appointed,” he told media persons.

On whether the male aspirants from Bihar would also get the benefit on the lines of 35% reservation to domicile women, the education minister said that legal opinion would be sought on the matter. “We have already reviewed the vacancies and we will do it again to ensure that the requisition with a roster for TRE-4 is sent to the BPSC at the earliest,” he added.

However, many aspirants are still waiting for the secondary teachers’ eligibility test (STET) and want it to be held prior to TRE-4 so that they could get the opportunity. The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) will conduct the test. The education department has already given the go ahead for the exam.

The first STET was held in 2011, but the second could be held in 2019 only and the third in 2024.

Last month RJD MP from Buxar Sudhakar Singh had also written to the BSEB chairman to organise STET before TRE-4. “It has to be held twice a year, but it has not happened. If STET is not held soon, it will deprive a large number of otherwise qualified eligible candidates from availing the job opportunity through TRE-4,” he had written.

In the STET held last year in May-June, 423822 candidates had appeared, out of which 297747 cleared it. For General category, the cut off was 50%, while for backward classes and extremely backward classes it was 45.5% and 42.5% respectively. For SC/ST, women and Divyang the cut off was 40%.