Friday offs in Bihar schools brings to the fore ideological fault-lines in Bihar NDA
The Hindu
A section of the BJP leaders raise objections to Urdu medium schools in Muslim dominated districts remaining shut on Fridays and holding classes on Sunday.
Ideological fault-lines within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar have once again come to the fore with a section of the BJP leaders raising objections to Urdu medium schools in Muslim dominated districts remaining shut on Fridays and holding classes on Sunday.
Education Department officials are tight-lipped on the issue. However, sources in the Department who spoke on condition of anonymity, attribute the controversy to a notice purportedly issued to the governments of Bihar and Jharkhand recently by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
“The NCPCR has sought to know whether there has been any government communication commissioning such an arrangement. Urdu medium schools, especially those in districts with heavy concentration of Muslims, have been remaining shut on Fridays for many years”, they said.
Many local level BJP leaders, who got a whiff of the development, gave statements to the media questioning “mixing of religion with education”, an obvious reference to Fridays being considered auspicious among Muslims who hold “ Jumme Ki Namaz” with great fervour.
This, understandably, irked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), which had incidentally kept the education portfolio with itself ever since it came to power, in alliance with the BJP, more than 15 years ago.
“We politicians must not kick up a storm over every trifle. People should keep in mind that even in Sanskrit Mahavidyalayas, there is a holiday on Pratipada and Ashtami dates of every month as per the Hindu calendar”, said JD(U) Parliamentary board president Upendra Kushwaha.
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