Why a school holiday calendar has ignited a political storm in Bihar

The Bihar government's Department of Education recently released the holiday calendar for the academic of 2024.
As per the department, the holidays have been structured to meet the criteria of 220 teaching days under the Right to Education act (RTE).

However, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly criticized the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar for its proposed holiday calendar for 2024. Sushil Modi, the party's Rajya Sabha member and former deputy chief minister, has accused the government of "assaulting Hindu sentiments."


Sushil Modi alleged that the revised calendar removes holidays on Ram Navami and Janmashtami while increasing the number of days schools remain closed for Muslim festivals. He claims that schools in Muslim-majority areas have been granted weekly offs on Fridays, while Hindus are being deprived of holidays on festivals such as Raksha Bandhan, Maha Shivaratri, and Anant Chaturdashi. Modi accuses Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his associates of attempting to divide Hindus along caste lines and appease Muslims.

During Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha, schools will be closed for three days. But in the calendar for 2024, holidays connected to Hartalika Teej and Jitiya have been dropped. Interestingly, Rakshabandhan, Saraswati Puja, Janmashtami, Ram Navami, Bhaidooj, and Shivratri are not included in the calendar of holidays for the coming year.

In response, leaders of the Mahagathbandhan coalition criticized the BJP for misleading the public on the issue. They acknowledged that the ruling coalition did not approve of the education department's decision and called for amendments to be made. Ashok Chaudhary, former education minister of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), stated that the department should have respected traditions and expressed confidence that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would address the matter.

It is worth noting that a similar reduction in holidays announced by the education department in August was withdrawn after widespread protests by teachers. Union Minister Nityanand Rai has labeled the move a "well-planned conspiracy to drive the state towards Islamisation." Shakti Yadav of the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has suggested reconsidering the declaration of a holiday on Raksha Bandhan while clarifying that holidays for Dussehra, Diwali, Holi, and Chhath have not been revoked.

As the controversy continues, it remains to be seen how the government will respond to the criticism and whether any amendments will be made to the proposed holiday calendar.