The Bihar government will soon appoint 40,500 headteachers in primary schools and 5,300 headmasters in the higher secondary schools across the state, officials said. The recruitment drive will be conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) which will hold a state-level competitive examination.

According to the existing rules, the appointment of government school teachers is being done through Panchayati Raj institutions, and later they were promoted as school heads. State education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said the decision has been taken to improve the quality of education in government schools.

On August 17, the Bihar cabinet cleared the proposal for the new rules of appointment of teachers. This came two days after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in his Independence Day address made the announcement of appointment of teachers through BPSC.

Education Minister Choudhary said the school administration lacked leadership and the new decision will improve the atmosphere in school campuses.

According to media reports, the education department will amend the regulations for school teachers’ appointments. As of now, the appointment of headmasters and head teachers is being done through the promotion of those teachers who meet the required qualifications. The rule is applicable for teachers who were appointed through Panchayati Raj institutions since 2006. This will change after the implementation of new guidelines and rules.

Sanjay Kumar, principal secretary at the department of education, has termed the new rules as a “major policy decision.” He said new guidelines will be framed for the appointment of headmasters. Now, the state-level cadres of headmasters and headteachers will be there in Bihar, he said.

All teachers who are currently working in Bihar government schools, private schools affiliated with the Bihar board, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CICSE) could participate in the competitive examination that will be conducted by BPSC, the official said, adding that they have to meet the required qualification.

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