Bihar: Govt schools in Kishanganj declare leave on Fridays, Education Min assures probe

With some government schools in Kishanganj allegedly shifting their holidays to Friday, Bihar Education Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary spoke exclusively to Republic TV and assured that an investigation will be carried out into the matter. Vijay Kumar Choudhary stated that the schools were bound to follow the regulations of the government, and the matter would be probed. 

"Nineteen schools in the Kishanganj district are receiving leave on Fridays, we don't have any official information regarding this but now that we got to know, we will get it checked. By saying something or by writing something down, institutions can not become Urdu schools. The school will remain in the category in which it has been registered in the records of the government," the Bihar Education Minister said.

"The investigation will happen and what is right will be done. We are assuring you that what is right will be done as per the rules. Schools are run by the government's rules, not by any committee. It doesn't matter what any committee is saying, government rules are important. We will check this and ensure school functions are based on rules," he added.

According to reports, at least 19 government schools have arbitrarily shifted their weekly holiday from Sunday to Friday for observing jumma. No directive has been issued in this regard by the Bihar government.

Jharkhand schools declare weekly-off on Friday

Earlier reports had surfaced that government schools in Jharkhand's Jamtara and Dumka were changing their weekly offs from Sundays to Fridays. The decision was allegedly taken by the schools without seeking proper permission from the authorities. Speaking on the matter, Sanjay Kumar Dar, DSE Dumka told ANI and said that all the schools have 'Urdu' in their names, and thereby the conditions behind the decision will be investigated.

"We have written a letter to the BO of the 33 schools advising them to enquire about this matter. All the schools have Urdu in their names. It is being investigated how Urdu is tied to these institutions and under what conditions a weekly holiday on Friday is offered in government schools. There is no instruction from the department to keep schools closed on Friday. After receiving the report, we will start an investigation," he said.