Two groups of teachers working in state-run panchayat schools filed a case challenging the Bihar School Exclusive Teachers Rules, 2023, which mandated that they take the competency exam. The petition was being heard by the court.
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a petition by local body teachers in Bihar protesting a competency test mandated by the state to improve the quality of education in rural schools, stating that teachers contribute to the development of the nation and should be willing to quit or be open to updating their abilities.
A vacation bench consisting of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan declared, “We are concerned about children’s education across the nation, especially in the state of Bihar. Allow teachers to resign if they choose not to follow this regulation. However, let them take the competency exam if they want to help the pupils.
Two groups of teachers working in state-run panchayat schools filed a case challenging the Bihar School Exclusive Teachers Rules, 2023, which mandated that they take the competency exam. The petition was being heard by the court. The state asserted that the exam was voluntary, that those who choose not to take it would not be fired, and that teachers who passed would be placed on an equal footing with state government educators. The petitioners went to the highest court to contest the Patna high court’s April 2, 2024 ruling after losing their appeal against the 2023 rule there.
“Teachers are people who build the nation,” the bench declared, dismissing the teachers’ petitions. You are not permitting the government of a state like Bihar to try to better teachers. Leave if you are unable to pass these examinations.
When their services were governed by the Bihar Panchayat Teachers Rules, 2012, the teachers—known as Niyojit teachers—proved their competence by passing a competency exam, the teachers’ attorneys told the court. The Bihar Panchayat Primary Teacher (Appointment and Service Conditions) Rules, 2006, were initially used to appoint these educators. A portion of them were Shiksha Mitras hired before 2006 who were subsequently assimilated as Niyojit teachers in accordance with the 2006 Primary Teachers Regulations.
The Patna High Court stated that there was a good chance for the Niyojit teachers to gain parity with current state government teachers while maintaining the 2023 norm. The High Court ruled that the test was instituted “with the declared purpose of encouraging the teachers to further their own education and reach a level commensurate with that of the newly hired teachers in accordance with the State School Teachers Rules 2023.”
The state administration contended before the HC that the policy change was required to guarantee high-quality instruction and, as a result, significantly raise the state’s educational standards. The state further said that in accomplishing this goal, the current policy guaranteed the preservation of teachers’ livelihoods.
“The whole purpose of these regulations is to update teachers,” the supreme court stated, concurring with the HC’s conclusion. We are aware that these teachers receive great salaries, but we also know that after that, they stagnate. Any state regulation requiring teachers to improve their skills is a positive thing.