Patna, The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has received a staggering 9.80 lakh applications for just 935 vacancies in the post of Assistant Education Development Officer (AEDO), translating to roughly 1,048 candidates vying for each position – a ratio that underscores the acute scarcity of secure government employment in the state.
The recruitment drive, scheduled for January, marks one of the fiercest contests for entry-level administrative posts in recent memory. Officials attribute the deluge of applications to a combination of chronic educated unemployment, the relatively attractive pay scale of ₹29,200–₹92,300 (Level-5), and broader confidence in the examination process following the state government’s decision last year to cap preliminary examination fees at a nominal ₹100 for all competitive recruitment exercises.
BPSC Chairman Parmar Ravi Manubhai noted that such a high volume of applicants is unprecedented in the commission’s history, though he emphasised that multiple factors – including timely conduct of examinations and prompt declaration of results – had encouraged greater participation. “A large number of applications may also reflect growing confidence among candidates that the process will be fair and time-bound,” Mr Manubhai said.
The commission has waived the main examination fee for successful preliminary candidates and introduced a ₹100 flat fee for the preliminary stage in an effort to ease the financial burden on aspirants, many of whom sit for multiple recruitment cycles each year.
Senior officials acknowledged that managing examinations on this scale presents logistical challenges. The chairman indicated that the possibility of conducting the test in multiple phases and introducing different question paper sets is under active consideration in order to minimise the risk of paper leaks – an issue that has plagued several high-stakes recruitments in the state in the past.
The AEDO position, created to strengthen monitoring and implementation of education policies at the block level, is seen by analysts as a barometer of the broader crisis in graduate employment in Bihar. With private-sector opportunities remaining limited outside major urban centres, lakhs of degree-holders continue to pin their hopes on a shrinking pool of public-sector openings.
Results of the examination are expected to be declared in April, after which successful candidates will proceed to the main written test and interview stages. For nearly a million aspirants, the coming months will determine whether years of preparation translate into one of Bihar’s most coveted entry-level government appointments.
