Bihar: Teacher training, exam during Holi, Good Friday triggers row
What's the story
Bihar's Education Department has stirred political controversy by scheduling a training program for government teachers on Holi, a major Hindu festival. The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) released a circular on March 20, asking primary school teachers from grades 1 to 5 who haven't attended a training session before to join the six-day Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) training from Monday. The SCERT has emphasized that "no leave will be granted" during this training period.
Context
Why does this story matter?
This is not the first time the Bihar government has faced criticism over public holidays. In November 2023, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was not part of the government then, slammed the Nitish Kumar-led government over the Bihar education department's decision to make changes to the holiday calendar, especially cutting holidays for Hindu festivals. The saffron party had claimed the move "hurt Hindu sentiments." It had excluded holidays for Rakshabandhan, Ram Navami, and Janmashtami but included three for Eid.
Training Circular
Nearly 20,000 teachers projected to participate in training
The SCERT circular was sent to the heads of all College of Teacher Education (CTE), District Institute for Education and Training (DIET), Primary Teacher Education College (PTEC), Block Institute for Education and Training (BIET), and other pertinent officials. As per the circular, around 19,200 government school teachers are projected to participate in the FLN training at 78 departmental training centers. Despite Holi being a public holiday, the SCERT has reiterated that "no leave will be granted" during this period.
Exam schedule
Exam on Good Friday adds fuel to fire
Adding fuel to the fire, the Bihar Education Department has also chosen to hold annual examinations for students below grade 8 on Good Friday, another public holiday. In a letter, Principal Secretary to the Bihar Governor, Robert L Chongthu asked the chief secretary to instruct the department to reschedule the exam set for March 29. This decision has also been met with widespread criticism and demands for intervention.
Reactions
Political leaders express discontent over scheduling decisions
Shortly thereafter, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav voiced his concern over the issue. "As per orders of the NDA government in Bihar, teachers have to be present even on the day of Holi. This has never happened in Bihar earlier," he said. RJD's spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary expressed similar concerns, saying the decision "shows complete anarchy in the state government and the education department."