Patna: Over 2.5 lakh contractual school teachers in Bihar have gone on an indefinite strike starting Thursday, demanding better working conditions and pay parity with permanent teachers. The strike which is underway in many districts of Bihar could affect teaching in over seventy thousand schools.
Since 2006, the state government has recruited teachers only on contracts for classes one to 12, who are paid anything between Rs 8000 to Rs 11000 per month. But these teachers are asking for promotions and facilities like a provident fund which are available for teachers on permanent positions.
In Hajipur, schools were locked because teachers did not turn up. In Saharsa, striking teachers forcibly stopped teaching at a school where permanent teachers are also employed.
In Patna, teachers like Girish Kumar Sharma went to school, but refused to conduct classes.
Mr Sharma, who was hired as a teacher on contract in 2007, says that a permanent teacher with the same seniority as his earns Rs 30,000 or more.
"We haven't even been paid our arrears in the last few years. The amount isn't much, but even a small amount of Rs 5000 per teacher hasn't been paid," Mr Sharma told NDTV.
While the state education minister P K Shahi refused to comment on the issue, government sources tell NDTV, "Pay for the teachers on contract has been revised substantially, thrice in the last decade."
The government has so far ruled out hiring teachers on permanent positions, but have agreed to hold talks with the striking teachers to redress their issues.
But teachers on contract are not satisfied. "It is not about finances. Even poor states like Odisha have ended the contract system. As far as raises are concerned, we are just electoral puppets. Before every elections salary is increased a little," convenor of the Niyojit Shikshak Nyay Morcha, Shivendra Pathak told NDTV.
In the last month, Bihar's education system has been exposed multiple times, with images of cheating and stories of teachers who do not even know the basics of the subjects they teach.