Aspiring college teachers have decided to move the high court to challenge the government's decision to cancel the pending appointment process for assistant professors .
Appointments and/or interview for 1,600 out of 3,345 vacant posts for the college teachers have been completed but the government late on Friday evening asked the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) to cancel the remaining process. The education department's recommendation is expected to reach BPSC on Tuesday, as offices are closed for the weekend and Independence Day.
Education minister Ashok Choudhary said: "We have asked BPSC to cancel the interview process for recruitment of assistant professors."
The decision will not affect candidates already appointed or interviewed.
Senior education officials associated with the process said the government took the decision because it wants to fill rest of the vacancies after forming a domicile policy (quota for Biharis).
Sources claimed majority of the candidates who applied for posts of assistant professors are from outside Bihar based on their eligibility parameters - NET qualification or PhD - according to the University Grants Commission's 2009 regulations. A lot of local candidates lose out on this criteria as Bihar was late in implementing the UGC decision.
Satish Patel, one of the candidates waiting for his interview, said: "We will move Patna High Court. The government's decision is against the larger interest of students."
Satish, along with many other candidates, has started collecting donations so that they can approach the high court. "Till now we have arranged around Rs 70,000 and many more candidates have agreed to contribute," he added. "We have also talked to a few lawyers for pursuing our case. The day BPSC issues a notice cancelling the ongoing recruitment process and initiates fresh recruitment process, we will file a case challenging the decision."
The government decision has come under attack from academics too. Retired Patna College principal N.K. Choudhary said: "The decision to stop the interview process midway is against the government's move to reform higher education. By reserving seats for local candidates, meritorious students from other state will not be attracted."
