Patna: Teachers in Bihar will be entitled to up to 730 days of child care leave under a new policy to be formalised within a fortnight, the state’s education minister has said, as authorities also move to crack down on alleged irregularities in school furniture procurement.
Speaking in the legislative council on Friday, the education minister, Sunil Kumar, said the department had prepared a standard operating procedure (SOP) governing the grant of 730 days of child care leave (CCL) for teachers. A formal order would be issued within 15 days, he added, in response to short notice questions from Prof Sanjay Kumar Singh and Dr Naval Kishore Yadav.
Kumar said the government was committed to safeguarding the rights and welfare of female teachers, and that the new framework would introduce clearer guidelines and greater transparency in the approval and management of leave.
Under a related reform introduced three months ago, teachers on maternity leave are now paid their salaries monthly rather than as a lump sum on their return to work. The minister said the change was intended to prevent financial hardship and ensure timely disbursement of benefits.
“The objective is that female employees receive their salaries and entitlements on time,” he told the House, adding that comprehensive instructions had been issued to streamline leave management.
During the same discussion, the leader of the opposition, Rabri Devi, raised concerns about transfer policies affecting women teachers. She said many had been posted to remote districts, and argued that greater consideration should be given to assigning teachers to their home districts in order to maintain family and social stability.
Kumar described the suggestion as constructive and said the department would examine the issue.
In a separate exchange, the minister adopted a tougher tone over alleged irregularities in the purchase of benches and desks for schools. He said officials were identifying those who had failed to clear AC-DC bills and that first information reports (FIRs) would be lodged against those found responsible.
If audits confirm embezzlement, criminal cases will also be filed, he said, adding that AC-DC bills are being reviewed on a weekly basis as part of efforts to strengthen oversight and accountability.
Kumar also announced that benches and desks would no longer be supplied through district education officers (DEOs), following a new order issued by the education department. Centralised monitoring and control mechanisms have been strengthened, he said, in what he described as a signal that irregularities would not be tolerated.
