Bihar Govt withdraws holiday cut order after teachers warn of protest: Report

NEW DELHI: Bihar education department withdrew its decision to cancel holidays on Diwali, Durga Pooja, Raksha Bandhan, and other holidays, as per reports. The department announced to reduce the number of festival holidays from 23 to 11 to make up for the academic loss.

The order which was issued on August 29 received a lot of criticism from teachers. The teachers associations also announced to launch a state-wide protest from September 5 against different measures taken by the state education department including reduction in leaves of the teachers.

“We (teachers) work 252 days in a year while the target set by the education department is only for 220 days. Though it is aware of it, the department reduced the number of leaves of the teachers. Those teachers who raised their voices against the department's decision were suspended or clarifications were sought from them. These are not acceptable,” Keshaw Kumar, the president of Teacher Association Bihar, told PTI.

The department said that the new academic calendar was released due to election duties, law and order situation, holidays, floods and other issues.

As per the order, schools will have a day holiday for Diwali on November 12 and for Chitragupta Puja on November 15, and a two-day holiday on November 19 and 20 for Chhath Puja.

Teachers of Kishanganj district staged a protest in August 30, a day after the order was issued. "Holidays were not cancelled in any other district of Bihar except here (Kishanganj). We have come here to hand a memorandum to the District Education Officer and demand to show us the written directive that led to the cancellation of Raksha Bandhan holiday," says Raghibur Rahman, District President of Bihar State Teachers' Association, as per PTI report.

VIDEO | Teachers stage a protest in Bihar's Kishanganj against the state government's decision to cut festive holidays for government schools.

"Holidays were not cancelled in any other district of Bihar except here (Kishanganj). We have come here to hand a memorandum to the… pic.twitter.com/uSvFTnyorY

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 30, 2023