By Vishwapati
Patna: Bihar contractual teachers who cleared the competency test have now been made special teachers and also government employees. However, they have not received the Seventh Pay Commission benefits as yet. The matter was raised in the Bihar Assembly today.
It has been revealed that contractual teachers in Bihar, who have become government employees after they cleared the competency test, are not being paid as per the Seventh Pay Commission. Left Party MLA Ajay Kumar raised this issue in the assembly via a question. He asked why, if the government recognizes that these teachers are now government employees, they are not receiving salaries comparable to other government employees. He also asked why a special pay matrix has been established for them.
Education Minister Sunil Kumar replied to the question, saying that the case of these appointed teachers, who are now considered special teachers, has been referred to the Finance Department. A new pay matrix was created for them since they were not covered under the Seventh Pay Commission. He further stated that in the future, the Eighth Pay Commission’s recommendations, to be adopted by the Central Government, will be taken into account. A fitment committee will be constituted, and the government will suggest that these teachers be given the benefits. But the Bihar Finance Department has the final say.
Lalit Yadav during the Question Hour asked another question on the Education Department. Opposition MLAs were dissatisfied with Minister Sunil Kumar’s reply, and the assembly witnessed pandemonium. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was in the House, intervened and requested the opposition to present their grievances in writing, assuring them of taking appropriate action. He also cautioned the minister and ordered the department’s Additional Chief Secretary, S. Siddharth, to intervene. After being assured by the Chief Minister, RJD MLAs cooled off and took back their seats.
Along with the pay inequality question, the revocation of the services of the non-teaching employees of colleges of higher studies was also a matter raised during the Bihar Assembly on Tuesday. BJP MLA Arun Shankar Prasad asked this question. Education Minister Sunil Kumar stated that the process of reinstatement of TRE-4 (Teacher Recruitment Examination) would be done in May. He explained that the supplementary results of the previous teacher recruitment examination would not be announced since the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has made alternative arrangements. The government assured that TRE-4 reinstatement would go ahead as scheduled next month.
(The author, Vishwapati, is a senior journalist based in Patna. He may be contacted at vishwapati25@gmail.com)
