At a program held in Patna’s Bapu Auditorium, madrasa teachers brought their concerns regarding salary increases and outstanding payments to the attention of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He responded by promising to examine their requests. The event, which took place on August 21st, was organized to celebrate the centenary of the Madrasa Board.
Around 15,000 individuals reportedly attended the event, including some teachers from the Madrasa Board. They demonstrated to CM Nitish Kumar, seeking a salary increase, following which the CM personally addressed them and provided assurance of consideration.
Bihar is home to roughly 3,200 madrasas. Of these, 1,600 are state-funded, while the other 1,600 are not grant-aided. The experienced Maulvis and Fazils earn around ₹50,000 monthly. Newly appointed teachers’ salaries range from ₹24,000 to ₹34,000, depending on the position. The qualifications include Intermediate for Maulvi, Graduation for Alim, and PG for Fazil. Hafiz teachers provide religious instruction.
The madrasa system has levels such as ‘Wastaniya’ up to class 8, ‘Fauqania’ up to class 10, ‘Maulvi’ up to class 12, and ‘Alim’ at the graduate level. Madrasa teachers protested the pending salaries and the poor condition of the Madrasa Board. Earlier in May, teachers in Darbhanga protested over unpaid salaries. Notably, 1,600 madrasas in the state do not receive state grants.