The Bihar government has become the cynosure of criticism after the state Education Department allegedly removed the names of more than 20 lakh students from government schools for remaining absent. According to reports, those whose names have been struck off also include 2.66 lakh students who were supposed to appear for class 10 and 12 board exams.
How many names removed so far?
Since starting a campaign to improve attendance on September 1, 2023, the Education Department has removed the names of 20,60,340 students (till October 19, 2023) from government schools. The drive was started in accordance with directives from the Education Department's Additional Chief Secretary, KK Pathak.
In a letter dated September 2, 2023, Pathak directed all District Magistrates to take serious measures, such as "tracking" boys and girls enrolled in government schools but attending private schools or distant locations like Kota in order to receive benefits from the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) program for uniforms and textbooks.
CPI (ML) Liberation MLA questions govt's move
Speaking to the media, CPI (ML) Liberation MLA, termed the decision as "dictatorial" by the state's Education Department. "The department has no right to play with the careers of students. The department must know that government schools are still facing an acute shortage of teachers and classrooms," he added.
"How can the department expect 100 per cent attendance of students, when there are no teachers to teach subjects like physics, chemistry and mathematics in higher classes? This is the responsibility of the department to provide all basic infrastructural and academic facilities in government schools first and then implement mandatory attendance rules for students," Saurav added.
Bihar Opposition leader lambasts state govt
Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, also slammed the government for the move. "If government schools in Bihar are facing acute shortage of teachers, students will have no option to…they (students) will certainly join private coaching institutes to complete their syllabus," he said.
"The Nitish Kumar government has miserably failed in improving the deteriorating condition of government schools in the state. I must say that students are being victimized by the state government just to hide serious shortcomings in the education system in Bihar. We demand immediate restoration of enrolments of those students whose names have been struck off," Sinha added.
(With PTI inputs)
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