Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said his government was taking all steps to strengthen education infrastructure in the state to make it an engine of growth.
Addressing a function on Teachers Day, Kumar said the state government was paying attention towards teachers' welfare and it has enhanced the honorarium of contractual teachers by Rs 3,000 per month without any demand from their side.
"As the state's financial health improves, we will raise the salary of teachers," he said.
Over 2.25 lakh contractual teachers in the state were on agitation recently, demanding regularisation of jobs and pay parity with regular teachers.
"When the present government had assumed power in November 2005, 12.5 per cent children in the age group of 6 to 14 were out of schools. Today the figure has come down to 3 per cent," he said.
Following the death of 23 children after eating poisonous mid-day meal in a Chhapra school, Kumar said the government was giving Rs 90,000 for constructing kitchen shed, to every school which lacks it. The Centre would be giving Rs 60,000 for each school under the same head, he added.
The state government was also providing utensil to students under the scheme, the Chief Minister said.
Kumar said education had been the hallmark of Bihar from the beginning. Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment in Bihar while Nalanda, the ancient seat of learning for the world, was also in the state.
The Chief Minister honoured eight teachers on the occasion.
Expressing disappointment that there was no woman among those chosen for reward, he asked the education department that there should be women teachers among the awardees on the occasion in future.
Education minister P K Shahi said, over two crore children were studying in 72,000 government schools in the state and more recruitment of teachers would be completed by December.
