Key Takeaways
- The Bihar government cut school holidays from 23 to 11 days to meet mandated working days.
- The BJP described the reduction as an anti‑Hindu move and urged immediate reversal.
- Teachers in Kishanganj and party leaders staged protests against the cancellation of major festivals.
In its recent notification, the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has notified changes in the government school holidays from August 28 to December 31, 2023. The number of school holidays in the state have now been reduced to 11 from 23. As per the Bihar administration, the decision has been taken to meet the minimum working days of 200 days for classes 1 to 5, and of 220 days for standards 6 to 8.
While the holidays for Raksha Bandhan, Bhaiya Dooj, and Janmashtami have been cancelled altogether, the Durga Puja holidays have been reduced to three days from the older span of six days.
There is one day‑off for Diwali and Chitragupta Puja each, and two days‑off for Chhath Puja. It is noted that holidays for all crucial Hindu festivals of immense significance have been cancelled or reduced.
This blatantly anti-Hindu move is now being vociferously criticised by the political opposition. The Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh, wrote on X, ‘The holidays for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja have been cancelled by the education department, government of Bihar. Tomorrow it is possible that Sharia will be implemented in Bihar, and there will be a ban on celebrating Hindu festivals.’
BJP Spokesperson, Sushil Modi, criticised the decision as well, and said, ‘Schools have not been run properly in the recent past as teachers are being deployed for non-teaching purposes, for instance the caste-survey. Bihar Education Department is going through a state of chaos. Nitish Kumar should immediately withdraw the ‘anti-Hindu’ order.
Bihar BJP Chief, Samrat Choudhary, has also taken on the state government. He has accused Bihar CM Nitish Kumar of playing appeasement politics and accused the JDU-RJD government of insulting Sanatana Dharma.
Protests were also staged by teachers in the Kishanganj district of the state, against the government’s decision to cancel the Raksha Bandhan school holiday.
