SC directs Bihar govt to appoint 34,540 primary teachers

If you are a trained teacher and unemployed, you should head for Bihar which has just been directed by the Supreme Court to recruit a whopping 34,540 primary teachers within six months.

The recruitment cannot be delayed as the apex court has kept pending a contempt petition to see the sincerity of the Nitish Kumar government to abide by its undertaking given to SC on January 18 and 23 of 2006.

The Patna High Court on September 26, 1996, had directed the state government to resume recruitment of teachers and it was of the opinion that the order was meant to force the state government to execute a public plan to help eradicate illiteracy.

The Bihar government had appealed against the HC judgment. However, during the pendency of the appeal, it sought to withdraw it in view of the state's decision to comply with the HC judgment, saying, "The government has prepared a policy framework for education in the state."

It had stated that recruiting teachers and filling vacancies of teachers posts in primary schools was its top priority. Recording this undertaking, the SC had disposed of the appeal on January 23, 2006.

However, one Nand Kishore Ojha filed a petition alleging that the Nitish Kumar government had done precious little to fulfil its promise to the apex court. Appearing for the state, attorney general G E Vahanvati and senior advocate Kailash Vas dev tried to convince the court that it was not the intention of the state to sidestep the undertaking before the SC.

Accepting the vacancy figure as mentioned in the 2003 advertisement, a Bench comprising Justices Altamas Kabir and H L Dattu said, "Notwithstanding the number of trained teachers available, we direct that the said available vacancies of 34,540, shown in the advertisement for appointment of primary teachers, be filled up with the said number of trained teachers as a one-time measure to give effect to the undertaking which had been given on January 18, 2006 and January 23, 2006."

The Bench added, "Let the contempt petition be adjourned for a further period of six months to enable the state government to implement this order and to submit a report on the next date as to the result of the discussions held between the petitioner and the concerned authorities."