Student Protests: Following protests at Jantar Mantar and in Jharkhand, students in Bihar are now set to launch a hunger strike. Student leader Dilip will begin an indefinite hunger strike on August 18 to demand the resignation of Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari, the release of the notification for Teacher Recruitment Exam (TRE) 4, and action regarding irregularities in other examinations.
The decision was reached today following a meeting of students in Patna. Students have long been demanding the release of the TRE 4 notification. They had previously taken to the streets on the very day the state's education minister Mithilesh Tiwari assumed office. Now, they have decided to resort to an indefinite hunger strike.
Dilip stated that a meeting of students preparing for various competitive examinations was held today. It was decided that the indefinite hunger strike would commence at Gardanibagh on August 18. He warned that if the government does not meet their demands within five days of the strike's commencement, they will march towards the Legislative Assembly, while the hunger strike at Gardanibagh will continue.
The student leader noted that Tiwari had previously promised that the TRE 4 notification will be released in July without fail; when questioned before July, he would ask if July had arrived yet, and when July did arrive, he would ask if it had already passed.
Now, half of August has also gone by, yet the notification remains unreleased, Dilip asserted. Consequently, the students have no option left but to protest, he added.
The students have made the following demands:
- Release of the TRE 4 notification; recruitment for all vacant posts
- A single-stage examination for TRE 4
- Strict adherence to domicile policies
- Removal of the contractual service weightage in BSSC recruitments
- Early conduct of the AEDO examination
- Expedited recruitment of librarians
- Transparency in all examinations; along with the release of answer keys, all candidates should receive carbon copies of their answer sheets
- Education Department sends requisition to BPSC
Meanwhile, as per reports, the Education Department has sent a requisition to the BPSC for the recruitment of 32,388 posts.
Earlier, the recruitment was planned for 10,778 posts for classes 1 to 5; 8,583 posts for classes 6 to 8; 9,082 posts for classes 9 to 10; and 16,774 posts for classes 11 to12.
However, this time, the recruitment is to take place for 3,847 posts for classes 1 to 5; 8,563 posts for classes 6 to 8; 3,877 posts for classes 9 to 10; and 16,101 posts for classes 11 to12.
Reports, though, suggest that since the State Teacher Eligibility Test (STET) examination is scheduled to be held first, there could be further delays in TRE 4.
