Bihar Education Department Launches Initiative to Identify and Train 20,000 'Sub-Expert' Teachers

The Bihar education department is all set to screen roughly 20,000 “sub-expert” teachers in a push that the state hopes will put government schools on a par with private schools. Under a new initiative, the state government hopes to identify the best subject experts from among the state’s 1.5 lakh teachers for Classes 9 and above, Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari said. These teachers will, in turn, serve as guides for their peers and conduct academic inspections, sitting alongside classroom instructors to identify areas for improvement and refine teaching techniques. Simultaneously, the state government has begun recruiting for 20,000 teacher vacancies for Classes 9 to 12. According to officials, given the decreasing attention span among students, the education department wants to focus on interactive, innovative, and informal teaching methods. To debate such reforms, the department is currently holding a two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’. The idea is to bring students back to government schools, Minister Tiwari said. “We have completed the first phase of improving the quality of education by opening 551 model schools equipped with high-performing teachers, labs, and smart classrooms. Now, we want to push for quality education across all schools for students in Classes 9 to 12,” he said. “Although we already have subject teachers, we want to identify the absolute best among them.” The government is currently inviting video submissions from teachers to “assess their presentation skills and personality”, Tiwari said. “Their educational background and annual performance reviews will also be taken into account. Once selected, these teachers will undergo specialised training before being sent to other schools to mentor subject teachers,” he said. The minister noted that it was impractical for Block Education Officers (BEOs) and District Education Officers (DEOs) to conduct deep academic inspections. “The department has also worked hard to ensure teacher punctuality. We have directed teachers to deposit their mobile phones with their principals during classroom hours. Schools will soon revert to half-day Saturdays in line with the National Education Policy (NEP),” he said.