In a bold move the Bihar Government has decided to sack altogether 2,734 teachers who failed to clear the competency test twice. Earlier in November last year over 10,000 teachers had failed to pass the test who were asked to appear in the competency test for a second chance before being sacked.
The State Government takes such periodical tests of teachers to improve the educational level and standards in Government schools in Bihar. If a teacher fails in such periodic competency tests for two consecutive terms he/she is sacked.
A total of 24 per cent contractual teachers have failed in the competency in November last year. Out of 43,447 teachers who took the test 32,833 could clear it but the rest had failed to come up to the mark. All were given chance for the second time but altogether 2,734 could make it again to face their removal from the job.
The State Government has been conducting such eligibility tests for schoolteachers since 2008. “Now after the result of the second test has come the department has completed its formalities to sack those teachers who could not pass the competency,” said an official of the State Education department.
State Education Minister PK Shahi has said that the department has already begun the process to sack those teachers after they failed to clear the test for second time. “The Government has no option but to follow the rules,” he said.
Earlier in 2012, the State Government had sacked 151 teachers after they failed to clear two consecutive competency tests. Following regular complaints of poor standard of teachers and teaching in Government schools, the State Government had mulled the idea to take periodic competency test for the subjects of english, mathematics, hindi and general knowledge up to Class 5.
Of late, there have been regular complaints that despite the State Government’s ambitious measures like Balika bicycle Yojna and scholarships for the students the standard of education in the schools has been falling badly. The primary teachers were often caught on camera unable to spell even the days of week and colours in some Government schools of the State.
Reports also came in that at most of the schools the teachers visit the campus once in a month to draw their salary and have kept a ghost teacher from the local area to manage their absence. “The test was to review their ability to teach. If they failed to clear it, the Government has made it clear that they should either improve in the second attempt or be sacked from teaching services,” said State Education Secretary Amarjeet Sinha.
Meanwhile, the State Government has published the service records of nearly 3.5 lakh teachers at 70,000 Government schools online. It’s a first such move to put service records of 3.42 lakh teachers of primary and middle schools online. It is also said that computerisation of the records was executed by a private agency with the World Bank’s assistance.