The Bihar government today said the opening of jobs in the ongoing BPSC teacher recruitment examination for candidates of other States is a legally valid decision.

The State Chief Secretary Amir Subhani defended the amendment in the Bihar Teacher Recruitment Rules for allowing candidates from other States. He said it upholds the constitutional provisions made in Article 16. The Chief Secretary said that in the country no State government can deprive and discriminate against candidates from other States on the basis of birth and residence.

Mr. Subhani said enforcing a domicile policy in this matter will be ultra vires.

The Chief Secretary further said the decision is not new for the State and in the earlier examination of teacher recruitment in 1994, 1999 and 2000 conducted by BPSC the domicile policy was not applied. He said applications were invited from all over the country.

In Bihar, the relaxation for other State candidates in the teacher recruitment examination has turned into a burning issue as the state candidates are alleging that it will hamper the interests of the unemployed youth of Bihar.

The BJP has also supported the demand of agitating candidates for revoking the recent amendment in teacher recruitment rules.
The Education Minister of Bihar Professor Chandrasekhar has said there are enough safeguards for the interests of candidates of the state in the teacher recruitment examination.

Talking to media in Patna, Mr. Chandrasekhar said there is a vacancy of one lakh 78 thousand teachers and it is expected that over 1.60 lakh teachers from Bihar will get teacher jobs because there are reservations and other provisions also.
He said, some elements want to drag the recruitment process into litigation so that it may get stuck like previous recruitment drives.