The Government of Bihar has issued a directive to District Magistrates (DMs) in the state, instructing them to refrain from involving school teachers and employees from the state’s Education department in the document verification process for candidates who participated in the ‘School Teacher Recruitment (2023) examination.
In a communiqué dated September 6, addressed to all DMs across Bihar, Chief Secretary Amir Subhani expressed concern, stating, “It has come to our attention that employees of the Education department and government school teachers are being engaged in document verification work for candidates who participated in the ‘school teacher recruitment (2023) examination.’ They are also participating in the scanning of the OMR sheets at various centers, a practice that needs to be immediately halted by the district administration. Employees of the Education department should not be assigned to these tasks,” as reported by PTI.
Moreover, he emphasized that personnel from other departments could be engaged in these activities, but teachers and officials from the Education department should be exempted.
The state’s Education department has also submitted a letter expressing its reservations regarding the involvement of teachers and other staff in these endeavors. The department has been taking measures to instill dedication among its educators and officials and to enhance the academic environment in government-run schools throughout the state. Consequently, teachers should not be drawn into such tasks.
Additionally, it is deemed inappropriate to assign teachers to these responsibilities when the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) conducts examinations specifically for the recruitment of educators, the Chief Secretary added.
Raju Singh, convener of the TET Primary Teachers’ Association, commented on the Chief Secretary’s letter to the DMs, stating, “We have consistently advocated that the government should cease engaging school teachers in non-teaching activities, including tasks related to elections or document verification,” as reported by PTI.
From August 24 to 26, BPSC conducted Bihar’s largest teacher recruitment examination, aimed at filling approximately 1.7 lakh teaching positions. Over 8 lakh candidates participated in this extensive examination.
The document verification process for candidates commenced on September 5 and will continue until September 12. Candidates are required to furnish a list of documents during verification, including Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, driver’s licenses, caste certificates, proof of address, matriculation certificates, and various other credentials.
With inputs from PTI
