The Teachers' Recruitment Examination (TRE-4) for over one lakh teacher openings, which is part of the Nitish Kumar government's huge job push in poll-bound Bihar, may be postponed.
In response to rising demand from applicants, the government is reportedly considering holding the Secondary Teachers' Eligibility Test (STET) before TRE-4, though a final decision has yet to be made, an official acquainted with the situation told Hindustan Times.
In July, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged the education administration to identify teacher vacancies as soon as possible so that the process of holding TRE-4 could begin, with 35 per cent reservation for local woman candidates. The goal was to complete the process before the model code of conduct went into effect, possibly by the beginning of October.
However, no advertisement for openings has been issued as of yet because the government is considering hosting the first STET, which is also due, and applicants have repeatedly demanded this, according to a senior department official. In the past, the aspirants held protests and marches in Patna, and they received support from opposition parties. They are again planning protests.
Senior department officials remain tight-lipped about the matter, even though time is running out and candidates are becoming increasingly anxious as a result of the ongoing uncertainty, Hindustan Times reports.
Previously, the government said clearly that STET would take place after TRE-4 but before TRE-5 next year, but due to ongoing demand and protests from aspirants, there is now a serious rethinking.
The election would very probably be declared after the fourth week of September, leaving little time to complete the procedure if it were delayed any further.
The Department of Education had previously provided guidelines to the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), which administers STET, but nothing further had been done. The government is considering holding the STET first.
The BBSEB held STET three times, in 2011, 2019/2020, and 2023. The government had indicated that STET would be held twice a year starting in 2024, which has yet to materialise.
The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) made STET mandatory for applicants desiring to teach in secondary and higher secondary schools on July 29, 2011.
