The Bihar government on Tuesday decided to recruit 1.78 lakh teachers in government schools in a bid tostem the rapid decline in the educational system across the state.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Nitish Kumar. The cabinet approved the creation of 1,78,026 posts of teachers in government schools.

The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) will conduct the recruitment through a competitive examination.

“Among the posts of teachers that will be created, 85,477 are for classes I to V, 1,745 for classes VI to VIII, 33,186 for classes IX and X, and 57,618 for classes XI and XII,” state cabinet department additional chief secretary S. Siddharth told reporters.

The BPSC will prepare the syllabus for the recruitment examination besides determining the types of questions.

Sources in the government said the details would be made public around the middle of this month.

The examination advertisement would be issued towards the end of the month and the entire recruitment process would be completed by July–August.

The Nitish Kumar government has made it clear that all applicants possessing BEd or similar degrees will have to take the recruitment exam even if they have qualified the teacher eligibility tests conducted by the central or state governments.

Various teachers’ associations are opposing the government over this criterion and calling it an “injustice”. They have threatened to launch an agitation against it.

The government had previously devolved the power to recruit teachers to village panchayats and urban local bodies.

The system remained in place for almost two decades but led to corruption in recruitment through a nexus between local public representatives and officials.

A large number of sub-standard teachers were recruited in government schools, which led to a severe decline in the quality of education across the state.

The cabinet has also approved Rs 4,171 crore for the construction of 2,000 “panchayat government” buildings across the state.