Indians with foreign university degrees eligible for government jobs in Bihar

GAD would accept valid degrees from only those foreign universities that had been recognised by the competent authorities in its own country

Indians with a degree from recognised foreign universities will be eligible now for government jobs in Bihar as the state government has tweaked a rule that barred such aspirants.

The Education Department had sought an opinion from the General Administration Department (GAD) about the validity of degrees possessed by applicants, who hail from Bihar, from the Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University of Nepal.

"It has been decided that an Indian citizen, including a native of Bihar, possessing a valid degree from a recognised foreign university, will now be eligible for applying for a Bihar government job," the GAD said in a recent notification.

Intermediate, senior secondary, higher secondary examinations of the approved boards in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal will also be accepted for the jobs if the education has been pursued through the 'regular mode', Additional Chief Secretary (Education) Dipak Singh told PTI.

A gazette notification will be issued soon, the official said. As of now, the high school diploma/other qualifications pursued through online or distance mode are not considered for equivalence by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), he clarified.

The GAD said it would accept valid degrees from only those foreign universities that had been recognised by the competent authorities in its own country and also by the AIU. The association evaluates the courses, syllabi, standards and credits of the foreign universities and equates them in relation to various courses offered by Indian universities.

It is mainly concerned with the recognition of degrees or diplomas awarded by the universities in India, which are recognised by the University Grants Commission, and abroad for the purpose of admission to higher degree courses in Indian varsities.

In 2015, the government had approved a Health Department proposal, allowing a native of Bihar possessing an MBBS degree from a foreign country to be eligible to get a job in government hospitals and medical colleges in the state.