Service rules for contract teachers soon: Bihar minister

PATNA: State education minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma on Friday hinted at giving some leverage to around 3.75 lakh schoolteachers on contract across the state. He said the service condition rules and other facilities on par with the teachers appointed on a regular basis were completed.
Verma told a TV news channel that CM Nitish Kumar had already been working for the betterment of the teachers appointed on contract in the government schools. He said the service condition rules, appointment of dependants on compassionate grounds, transfer and promotional benefits etc would be given to them.
He, however, didn’t specify any time frame for giving new benefits to the teachers, who had earlier launched an indefinite stir in February in support of their various demands, including payment of salary on ‘equal pay for equal work’. “Samay aane par iski ghoshna kar di jayegi (It will be announced at an appropriate time),” the minister said.
Authoritative sources in the education department said the draft of the service condition rules was given the final touches recently. “The proposal will be sent to the state cabinet for approval. A meeting to finalize the proposal was held recently,” a senior officer of the department said on the condition of anonymity.
Sources said it may be announced on the Teachers’ Day on September 5.
Meanwhile, former chief minister and HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi thanked CM Nitish Kumar for conceding the long-pending demands of contract teachers in government schools. Manjhi tweeted, “We hail the state government’s decision in the larger interest of the teachers. Also ensure the payment of their salaries on the basis of ‘same work, same pay’ policy.”