Patna: Teachers opting for transfer under Bihar’s new transfer policy will be posted only to schools of their choice, education minister Mithilesh Tiwari said on Friday, asserting that the exercise would be entirely voluntary.Addressing a news conference at Vikas Bhawan, Tiwari said teachers applying for transfer can choose between one and 30 schools and would be posted only to one of those institutions. “Only those teachers who apply will be considered for transfer. No teacher will be transferred to any school other than the options given by them,” he said.The minister also announced that teachers would be brought under a district cadre system and become eligible for transfers every five years. Earlier, teachers could avail only two transfers during their entire service period.The e-Shikshakosh portal, launched on July 29 under the Bihar State Teacher Transfer Rules, 2026, will remain open till Aug 5. Within two days, 14,796 surplus teachers submitted applications for transfer, while another 7,795 filled in forms but had not completed the submission process. In all, 22,591 teachers have joined the exercise. Additionally, 2,142 teachers have applied for mutual transfers.According to the education department, Bihar has over one lakh surplus teachers, including 65,413 at the primary level (Classes I-V), 9,471 at the middle level (Classes VI-VIII), 17,904 at the secondary level (Classes IX-X) and 14,500 at the higher secondary level (Classes XI-XII).Tiwari said these teachers would be redeployed to schools facing shortages, particularly in districts such as Araria, Jamui and Purnia.He said the govt is also considering introducing Bal Vatika classes in primary schools, where surplus teachers could be deployed. Those who cannot be accommodated immediately may be posted at anganwadi centres, Scheduled Caste hostels and Karpoori Thakur hostels for OBC students.
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Appealing to teachers to support the exercise, Tiwari said the new arrangement would allow male teachers to seek transfers within their districts and women teachers within their blocks. “This will enable teachers to reach schools on time, return home on time and devote themselves fully to teaching students,” he said.A state-level workshop will be held at Adhiveshan Bhawan in Patna on Aug 9 and 10 to address teachers’ concerns and explain the transfer process in detail.The minister also said a requisition for recruitment to 32,388 teaching posts under TRE-4 has already been sent to the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). Going forward, the department will assess subject-wise vacancies annually and send requisitions to the BPSC every year.He added that the department was considering the demands of niyojit teachers and exploring ways to bring them under the new transfer framework.(with inputs from PTI)
