Patna: Government teachers in Bihar have intensified their demand for the 7th Pay Commission pay scale, arguing that while they have been granted the status of state government employees, they are still not receiving salaries and benefits on par with other state government staff.
Teachers have already staged a protest by wearing black bands while on duty and are now planning an indefinite hunger strike in Patna from October 2 if their demand is not addressed.
The issue involves around 5.5 lakh state-employed teachers, and implementing the 7th pay scale for them could increase the Bihar government’s annual financial burden by more than Rs 10,000 crore, according to estimates cited by teacher organisations.
Teachers argue that if they have been granted state government employee status, their salary structure should also be aligned with other state employees.
Why are Bihar teachers demanding the 7th Pay Commission?
The disparity has its roots in the different systems through which teachers have been recruited in Bihar over the years.
Teacher leader Markandey Pathak said teachers recruited through the Bihar Public Service Commission in 1994, 34,500 special teachers recruited in 2012 and teachers appointed through the High School School Service Commission between 1998 and 2015 are receiving pay scales similar to other government employees.
Many of these teachers are already covered under the 7th Pay Commission.
Teachers’ organisations have also pointed to neighbouring states such as Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, where several categories of teachers receive salaries on par with government employees.
A large number of teachers were appointed through panchayats and urban local bodies from 2006 onwards. Their salary structure was kept separate from that of permanent government employees.
The Bihar government introduced a new teacher recruitment framework in 2023 and granted state government employee status to teachers recruited under the new system. However, teachers’ organisations say the corresponding pay benefits have not been extended uniformly.
Older teachers, particularly those appointed before 1990, are receiving salaries ranging from around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh a month under the applicable Central Pay Commission scales.
Six different systems of teacher recruitment in Bihar
Bihar has followed several recruitment systems for government and locally appointed teachers over the past two decades.
2003-2006: Teachers were initially appointed as Shiksha Mitras on an honorarium basis through village panchayats and local bodies. Most appointments were made at the local level and these teachers were not considered regular government employees.
2006-2012: A large-scale second phase of recruitment took place. Panchayat teachers were appointed in rural areas, while municipal teachers were recruited in urban areas. Secondary and higher secondary teachers were also appointed. Written examinations were not conducted for these recruitments.
2012-2020: The third phase introduced TET-based recruitment following the Right to Education Act and National Council for Teacher Education guidelines. Candidates were required to qualify in BTET or CTET, with selection based on merit. Appointments continued to be made through panchayats and urban local bodies.
After 2015: Teachers began being recruited under a revised system that provided a structured pay scale instead of fixed honorariums. Annual increments and a retirement age of 60 were introduced, although these teachers continued to remain employees of local bodies rather than the state government.
2020: The government introduced a new local-body teacher recruitment framework. Panchayat, municipal and Zila Parishad teachers continued to be recruited through local bodies.
2023: The Bihar State School Teachers Rules, 2023 brought the biggest change. Recruitment shifted from panchayats and local bodies to the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). Teachers from Classes 1 to 12 began being recruited through written examinations conducted by BPSC. Selected teachers were granted state government employee status.
Three Teacher Recruitment Examinations conducted so far
BPSC has conducted three Teacher Recruitment Examinations (TRE) so far, while TRE-4 is currently in process.
- TRE-1 (2023): Around 1.70 lakh teachers recruited
- TRE-2 (2023): Around 94,000 teachers recruited
- TRE-3 (2024): Around 87,000 teachers recruited
Competency examination conducted five times
The Bihar government introduced a separate Special Teacher Cadre for locally appointed teachers in 2024. A competency examination has since been conducted in five phases.
Teachers who clear the examination become special-category teachers and receive salaries and other service benefits similar to other state teachers. Those who have not cleared the competency examination continue to remain local-body appointed teachers.
How much could salaries increase under the 7th Pay Commission?
Implementing the 7th Pay Commission for the affected teachers is estimated to cost the state government more than Rs 10,000 crore annually.
Teacher organisations estimate that individual salaries could increase by up to Rs 15,000 per month, depending on the teacher’s existing pay and applicable pay structure.
The Education Department has been allocated Rs 68,216.95 crore for the 2026-27 financial year, with a substantial portion of the budget going towards teachers’ salaries.
The Bihar Secondary Teachers’ Association has also written to Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, seeking implementation of the 7th Pay Commission and removal of pay disparities.
The association has additionally demanded that teachers who have cleared the competency examination and have been granted state government employee status should receive seniority and promotion benefits.
‘If a peon gets 7th Pay Commission benefits, why are teachers excluded?’
Bihar Secondary Teachers’ Association general secretary and former MP Shatrughan Prasad Singh said teachers should receive the same salary benefits as other state government employees after being granted state employee status.
“All teachers have become state government employees. They should therefore receive the benefits of salary increments like state employees. If everyone from a peon to the chief secretary is receiving the 7th Pay Commission benefits, why are teachers being deprived of them?” he said.
Bihar State Teachers Association (Gopgut) state president Markandey Pathak said teachers were responsible for shaping the future of millions of children but alleged that their own career prospects were being undermined.
“Nearly six lakh teachers are building the future of Bihar’s children. It is unfortunate that the future of those who are shaping children’s futures is itself being jeopardised,” Pathak said.
He also questioned the need for the competency examination after teachers had already cleared qualifying examinations.
According to Pathak, only around 1.25 lakh candidates cleared the TET examination conducted in 2011, despite around 33 lakh applications. He argued that after teachers had subsequently cleared the competency examination, the government could no longer cite concerns over their qualifications.
‘Government should not follow a dual policy’
Manoj Kumar, deputy general secretary of the Bihar State Primary Teachers’ Association, accused the government of following a dual policy on teachers’ salaries.
“On one hand, the government says teachers are state employees, but on the other, it does not pay them at the level of state employees,” he said.
He claimed that teachers’ salaries were even lower than those of lower-level state government employees, while teachers recruited under earlier systems were receiving pay scales based on Central Pay Commission recommendations.
Why are teachers raising the issue now?
The timing of the agitation is significant as elections to eight seats of the Bihar Legislative Council are scheduled, including four seats under the teachers’ constituency.
Teacher organisations believe political parties will therefore have to pay attention to teachers’ demands while campaigning for the four teachers’ constituency seats.
The Bihar government had created a separate salary arrangement for teachers when it granted them state government employee status. Teacher organisations are now demanding that this arrangement be changed and that teachers be brought under the 7th Pay Commission system applicable to other state government employees.
The proposed October 2 hunger strike in Patna could further escalate the standoff between the government and teacher organisations if their demands remain unresolved.
