Bihar Govt cuts down Hindu festival holidays for the next school academic year

• Increases in holidays for Muslim festivals

• Every Friday to be given as a weekly holiday for Islamic schools and madarasas

Patna (Bihar) – Bihar’s Education Department has declared a list of school holidays for the year 2024. As per the list, the holidays on Hindu festivals viz. Makar Sankranti, Raksha Bandhan, Hartalika and Jitiya (a ritual performed by mothers for their children, in the month of Ashwin) have been scrapped along with the holiday on Gandhi Jayanti (birth anniversary). The holidays for Diwali and Chhath puja have also been reduced. On the other hand, along with the summer holidays, holidays on Eid, Bakri Eid, and Muharram have been increased. The weekly holiday in Islamic schools and madarasas has been changed to Friday. These schools will be run on Sundays. In addition, any school in a Muslim pre-dominant area can declare Friday as a weekly holiday by obtaining permission from the District Collector. The Bihar Government has published separate calendars for Urdu and general schools.

Summer holidays have been increased from 20 to 30 days. Teachers and other staff will attend school even in the summer holidays. There will be a day’s holiday for Diwali while the Chhath puja (an observance to worship the Sun God in North India) holiday will be for three days. The two-day holiday for Haritalika and a day’s holiday for Jitiya have been cancelled.

BJP criticises the Government

In his tweet, Union Minister Giriraj Singh stated that the way the Government led by Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar is attacking Hindus; in future, they will be known as Mohammad Nitish and Mohammad Lalu.

Sushil Kumar Modi, BJP’s MP in the Upper House of the Parliament said that the Bihar Government has once again scrapped the holidays on Hindu festivals such as Janmashtami, Rakshabandhan, and Shivaratra. Nitish Kumar is busy playing vote-bank politics by dividing Hindus into castes and appeasing minorities.

One Minister in Nitish Kumar’s Government opposes and other leaders of ruling parties try to protect

Nitish Government’s minister Ashok Chaudhari said that such decisions would hurt people’s sentiments. It is wrong. The State Education Minister must not have seen it. The Chief Minister, once he learns about it, will definitely take note of it. Janata Dal (Coalition) leader Neeraj Kumar said that the holidays of Shab-e-Barat have been reduced, but nobody is discussing it. There is no reduction in holidays on Hindu festivals. Only the Education Department will clarify the reasons for the increase in holidays. It should not be seen as a political move, but one can comment only after verifying the clarification of the Education Department.

The list of holidays

Last year, the Eid holiday was only on the 22nd of April while the new list shows, the Eid holidays on the 10th, 11th, and 12th of April. Last year, there was a two-day holiday on the occasion of Bakri Eid which has been increased to 18th, 19th and 20th June for the new academic year. The Muharram holiday was for one day last year whereas, in the new year, it will be on the 17th and 18th of July.

Cancellation of Hindu holidays

Mahashivaratra, Ram Navami, last Monday of Shravan, Hartalika Teej, Jitiya, Shrikrushna Janmashtami, Anant Chaturdashi, Bhai-dooj, Govardhan-puja, Guru Nanak Jayanti and Kartik Pournima.

Editorial Perspectives

• Bihar’s coalition Govt. of Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal breaks secularism into pieces. Hindus from Bihar have to decide whether it is acceptable to them ? If not acceptable, are they going to oppose it in a lawful manner or going to destroy themselves by falling prey to communal politics ?

• Please note that the fake secular political parties in the country are ‘Islamising’ schools while accusing the BJP of ‘saffronisation’ of education.