Patna, Jan 30: Observing that the primary education delivery system has collapsed in Bihar, Patna High Court has asked the state government to clarify its stand on the affidavit on the issue of appointment of primary teachers.

Hearing arguments on three separate public interest litigations (PILs) on the matter, a division bench of Chief Justice R S Dhawan and Justice Shashank Kumar Singh noticed that government officers were making divergent statements before the court.
The court asked the government to strictly adhere to rules and regulations incorporated in the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) Act and grant relaxation in qualifications in accordance with them.
NCTE and Union government counsel S N Pathak said the NCTE had allowed the state government to hold a competitive examination under Bihar elementary teachers appointment rules of 2003 and trained teachers available from institutions recognised by the NCTE and qualified under the examination would first be given appointment offers.
He said the NCTE further directed that the remaining vacancies might thereafter be filled up from among candidates who did not possess essential requirements of pre-service training as elementary school teachers.
State Advocate General Shashi Anugrah Narain Sinha said only trained teachers, who qualified the competitive examination conducted by the Bihar State Staff Selection Commission, would be given appointment letters. He said services of non-trained teachers would be regularised or confirmed till a proper training programme approved by the NCTE for this purpose had been organised.
Bureau Report