Stormy monsoon session awaits Bihar assembly amid planned teachers’ stir

The Bihar state government’s primary education department has written to Patna district magistrate ahead of the planned stir by teachers’ body on July 11 and 12 in Patna.

Director (primary education) Pankaj Kumar has written to Patna DM for needful action with a copy of the prior information about the demonstration given by the teachers’ body.

“The primary teachers’ association informed about their “ghera dalo, dera dalo’ protest at the residences of all legislators for two days (July 11-12) in support of their demand for their inclusion in the Bihar state school teachers (appointment, transfer, disciplinary action, and service condition) rules, 2023, among other demands.

The July 11,12 stir is being organised over discrimination against teachers.

“All the teachers will join the struggle in Patna on July 11-12. We will continue with it in support of our demand. It is against natural justice to discriminate among teachers. After all, the teachers working since 2006 have been appointed by the government only through the then existing policies. Teachers get better with experience and here the better lot is being humiliated,” said Bihar secondary teachers’ association president and former MP Shatrughan Prasad Singh.

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The education department had earlier ordered action against teachers participating in agitation for violation of code of conduct as laid down in the 2020 rules.

“If the teachers demonstrate violation of code of conduct and it comes to light, immediate action needs to be taken. If the teachers resort to demonstration before education department offices, its video recording should be done for identification of code violation,” said the letter from director, primary education, Pankaj Kumar to all the regional deputy directors (RDDs) and district education officers (DEOs).

The development sets the tone for a fiery monsoon session in the Bihar legislative assembly starting July 10.

Last week, a demonstration by teacher aspirants in Patna against the removal of domicile policy had turned violent, following which chief secretary Amir Subhani had to clarify that the clause was removed as it was legally not tenable.

“How education in the state has been ruined is for all to see. It is no longer a secret. The government will have to answer for the mess it has created in the education sector in the House. Teachers and students are suffering while the department is in turmoil and the CM is busy daydreaming for PM’s chair and hold on to his CM’s chair,” said BJP state president Samrat Choudhary, adding education along with law and order were key issues confronting the masses.

Hitting out, JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, on the other hand, said that the government wouldn’t be willing to answer any question in the House, but it is the BJP that will have to do a lot of answering to the chaos it has unleashed for sheer politics to avoid any discourse on pressing problems like unemployment and price rise.

The monsoon session is expected to be brief but there is an indication that it could be stormy with the BJP as well as grand alliance (GA) Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) throwing their weight behind the working teachers who have so far got no relief from the Patna high court on their petitions.

On Tuesday, Patna HC refused to stay the ongoing recruitment process for teachers, which is being carried out by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) under the new rules.

The bench has fixed August 22 as the next date of the hearing.

The competitive exams for recruitment of around 1.65 lakh teachers is scheduled in four phases in August and will end on August 27. The last date for submission of applications in July 12.

Nearly 4 lakh working teachers appointed since 2006 through the Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies want the government employee status without any exam rider on the pretext that they have been serving for up to 16 years and cleared several examinations during the period.

The government, on the other hand, has categorically stated that the new rules will only apply to fresh appointments and there would be no change.