Patna, May 24: The ongoing war of attrition between the state and the high court over the recruitment of primary teachers has not only eroded the government’s credibility but also exposed the mess that Bihar’s primary education system is in right now.

Apparently, the government’s “carefree” approach and dilly-dallying on the issue has left thousands of trained primary teachers in the lurch.

The problem came to the fore last December when the state unilaterally decided to open vacancies to matriculate non-trained persons who would be recruited on the basis of an entrance test to be conducted by the government.

Thousands had applied for the post based on an advertisement for over 34,000 vacancies. But the court stayed the plan just before the government could conduct the entrance test.

Since then, at least 15 writ petitions have been filed in the court, challenging the new policy. Fed up with the state’s inept handling of the situation, the court procured assurances from the government for settling the matter amicably.

The court is hearing writ petitions filed by advocate Nand Kishore Ojha and K.M. Joseph separately at present. They have pleaded for the appointment of all trained teachers before recruiting non-trained persons.

The writ petition filed by Joseph in July last year challenged the state for not holding the teachers’ training examinations in the state for the past 11 years.

On May 16, the chief secretary convened a special meeting, which decided to relax the rules by exempting trained teachers from the preliminary test, raise the age limit and allow matriculates (among the trained) to take the test for recruitment. Besides, the trained persons will get bonus marks in the entrance test.

The state cabinet discussed the recommendations but apparently did not arrive at a concrete solution to the problem.

On May 22, the judicial bench of Chief Justice R.S. Dhavan and Justice Shashank Kumar Singh held a special session, but no concrete step was taken then also.

The matter would remain unresolved for some more time as the court closed for its month-long summer vacation today.

Sources said that in 1991, the government had effected the change in the recruitment of over 20,000 teachers from the open quota.

“In 1991 itself the government departed from the normal rule and dispensed with the requirement of training for any recruitment,” justice and human rights forum advocate K.M. Joseph said.

“Ever since then there has been a total neglect of teachers’ training in the state,” he added.

State education department officials are reluctant to speak on the issue, saying the matter is sub judice. “We are working out a solution and hope to do it fast,” was the official version.