Patna: For thousands of teachers and employees of Bihar’s unaided and grant-in-aid degree colleges, Teachers’ Day 2026 brought hope after decades of neglect, penury and uncertainty. The CM’s announcement on a respectable salary structure could prove historic for the community.These teachers have spent years teaching students, conducting examinations and supporting Bihar’s expanding higher-education system while struggling to support their own families. Many have served virtually their entire professional lives without meaningful salaries or basic service security.Thousands have remained trapped in the system since the 1980s. The govt’s grant provision in 2008 had raised hopes their long ordeal was nearing an end, but relief remained elusive for many. Hundreds died waiting, while others retired after spending their working lives in uncertainty. Their families were left to cope with debt and deprivation.Despite this, the teachers and employees continued to organise, agitate and approach successive governments.The All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO) welcomed the CM’s announcement as a potential breakthrough and congratulated the govt and those who kept the struggle alive.AIFUCTO national general secretary Arun Kumar, however, cautioned against delays. “The announcement must now be converted into a concrete government decision and implemented on the ground,” he said, warning the matter “should not get trapped in an endless maze of committees”, as had happened in the past.According to sources, the govt is considering a deficit-grant (ghatanudan) system under which institutional income would be combined with government assistance to meet the prescribed salary structure. Such a system existed in Bihar before deficit-grant colleges were gradually brought under the regular university system. Teachers and employees of those institutions now enjoy UGC pay scales and prescribed service conditions.For the “Vittarhit” teachers, the announcement offers the possibility of long-delayed justice. “The real celebration will come when the first respectable salary reaches the hands of a teacher who has spent a lifetime waiting for it,” Kumar added.—
