Bihar braces for big student protest as TRE-4 advertisement delay triggers fresh warning

Teacher recruitment aspirants in Patna began an indefinite hunger strike over the delayed TRE-4 advertisement. The protest has widened into demands on the exam pattern, vacancy list and a time-bound government response.The student movement over recruitment delays has now reached Bihar, with teacher recruitment aspirants beginning an indefinite hunger strike in Patna on Tuesday, August 18, demanding the immediate release of the advertisement for the fourth phase of the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE-4).The protest at the Gardanibagh protest site comes after student demonstrations in Delhi and Ranchi over recruitment delays, examination reforms and other education-related demands. In Bihar, the focus is largely on the long-awaited TRE-4 recruitment notification and the manner in which the examination will be conducted.According to student leaders, if their demands are not addressed within five days of the hunger strike beginning, they will consider marching towards and gheraoing the Bihar Assembly.Reports said the proposed escalation could take place around August 23 or 24. The students have said the hunger strike will continue even if the Assembly protest is held.STUDENTS DEMAND IMMEDIATE TRE-4 ADVERTISEMENTThe main demand of the protesting candidates is the release of the TRE-4 recruitment advertisement. Students have asked the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) to issue the notification without further delay. The students say repeated assurances have not resulted in the recruitment advertisement. The issue has become more contentious because the state government had earlier indicated that the recruitment process would move ahead during July.In July, the government said it would send the recruitment requisition to BPSC.On July 29, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced that the Education Department had sent a requisition for 32,388 teacher posts under TRE-4. The proposed recruitment covers posts at the primary, middle, secondary and higher secondary levels.However, the students are now pressing for the next step, the formal recruitment advertisementJULY TIMELINE FROM THE EDUCATION MINISTERThe delay has become a major point of contention between the government and the candidates.Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari had earlier said that the TRE-4 recruitment schedule would be released in July. In July, he also said the government was working on assessing teacher requirements and would send the requisition to BPSC by the end of the month.The government subsequently sent the requisition for 32,388 posts to BPSC. But candidates say the process remains incomplete because the recruitment advertisement has not been issued.For aspirants who have been preparing for the examination for months, the uncertainty over the notification and examination schedule has become a major concern.Students are also opposing any change in the TRE-4 exam pattern. They said TRE-1, TRE-2 and TRE-3 were conducted through a single examination and want the same system to continue for TRE-4 instead of a Preliminary and Main exam. They fear a two-stage process could further delay recruitment.The students have also demanded that physical education teacher vacancies be included in TRE-4 and that recruitment be based on the actual vacancies in schools.The protest has also drawn candidates preparing for other government recruitment exams, including BSSC and police recruitments, who are raising concerns over delays in the recruitment process.The immediate issue, however, is the TRE-4 advertisement. While the requisition for 32,388 posts has been sent to BPSC, candidates are demanding that the formal notification be issued without any further delay.For now, the situation puts the Bihar government and BPSC under pressure to move the recruitment process forward. The coming days will determine whether the notification is released or whether the student agitation expands towards the state legislature.- EndsPublished On: Aug 18, 2026 14:19 IST