Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, August 30
Union ministers and senior BJP leaders on Wednesday took a strong note on the state government order curtailing holidays in schools.
School teachers too joined the protest and alleged vacations during Hindu and Sikh festivals have been cut. Union Minister for rural development Giriraj Singh, in a tweet, regretted the government decision and claimed holidays during Hindu festivals have been curtailed to appease the minorities. “It appears Nitish Kumar wants to introduce Sharia laws in Bihar,” he said.
Union minister of state for forests, environment and food Ashwini Kumar Chaubey said the state government has done great injustice to the Hindus by cutting short vacations during the most popular festivals of Chhath and Diwali.
Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, demanded removal of K K Pathak from the education department. Pathak is Additional Chief Secretary in the department. Modi said Pathak was running the department on whim and fancy and deliberately destroying the education atmosphere in the schools too.
Last week, Pathak had issued separate advertisements inviting applications for appointment as vice chancellors in seven universities against the Bihar state universities Act which empowered the Chancellor (Governor)only to invite such applications. When the Governor summoned the chief minister, Nitish Kumar to Raj Bhawan and asked him to withdraw the advertisements, the education secretary withdrew them.
Niraj Kumar, MLC and principal spokesman of the JDU, defended the action of the government by claiming Pathak was implementing the Right to Education Act, 2009 which recommended 220 days of teaching in secondary schools and 200 in primary schools every year.
According to the notification issued by the education department here on Tuesday evening, the government cancelled the holidays of Raksha Bandhan (tomorrow), Teej (a popular festival for women who fast for two days) etc. Vacation during Deepawali will be for one day and during Chhath for two days. There would be a two-day vacation for the Durga Puja festival.
Chhath festival vacation will be limited to Sunday and Monday for the teachers and students. Chhath is the most popular festival in Bihar, where friends and relatives of the devotees come from far off places, like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to join the celebrations. Now, students and teachers would have to return to the classes the next day.
In the next four months beginning September, 23 pre scheduled holidays have been cancelled. There would be one day of school closure on Christmas-December 25 against the usual ten days of winter vacation.
Ajay Kumar Singh, joint secretary of the Bihar Shikshak Sangh and Ms Manju Kumari, a woman teacher of Jamui, said the teachers would be forced to launch agitation if they are forced to work on Janmashtami and Teej festivals too. “Only our festivals have been targeted,” said Ajay Singh.
Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh here regretted that Chhath festival continues for three days, but now, teachers and students would have to skip the festival and join their teachings and studies mid-way through the festivities.
According to the government spokesman, teachers are engaged in preparation of electoral rolls, conduct of polling, examinations affecting teachings in the schools, hence holidays are being cut short.
