The Crossbill News Desk
Bihar’s government-run model schools have become the centre of a political controversy after several institutions were repainted in a government-prescribed “sunrise” shade and renamed “Saraswati Vidya Niketan”, with the exercise reportedly requiring fresh expenditure despite some buildings having been painted only days earlier.
The issue came to light at B.P. Inter School in Begusarai, where the exterior walls were given a new coat of the prescribed colour, which closely resembles the saffron shade associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). New polymer signboards carrying the revised name of the school were also installed, The Hindu reported.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and state education minister Mithilesh Tiwari had visited the school on July 19, after announcing the model-school scheme. School authorities said the repainting and installation of the new signboards were carried out with unusual speed.
School principal Kamini Kumari questioned the need for repainting the premises when the building had already received a fresh coat of paint shortly before the latest directive.
“We’ve to follow whatever directive or guideline comes from above,” Kumari, who also teaches chemistry, told the paper.
The school, which dates back to 1888, now bears the name “Saraswati Vidya Niketan, B.P. Inter School, Begusarai”.
According to Kumari, nearly 50 workers were deployed between July 16 and 18 to complete the repainting before the chief minister's visit.
Begusarai district education officer Manoj Kumar said the district has 18 blocks and four additional model schools because of its size. “Work is under way in every model school as per department’s guidelines,” he said.
The Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (BSIEDC), responsible for construction and renovation of government schools, had issued instructions to its district units on July 7.
The communication specified “Sunrise” (0526, Asian Paints) for external walls, chocolate brown enamel for borders, Xtra White for interiors and golden brown enamel for doors and windows. It directed officials to implement the changes “as soon as possible”.
The programme covers 551 model schools across Bihar and has already prompted opposition parties to question both the colour scheme and the decision to rename the institutions. While the state government has presented the exercise as part of its model-school initiative, critics have objected to the use of a colour closely associated with saffron and the BJP.
The controversy comes amid a wider debate over the use of saffron in government-linked institutions and public bodies.
Last month, Hockey India announced that the national team's traditional blue jersey would be replaced with saffron ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands, a decision that drew objections from seven former captains as well as Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.
The Bihar government's school makeover has thus added another layer to the ongoing political debate over whether changes in the appearance and identity of public institutions are administrative decisions or carry a broader political message.
The issue came to light at B.P. Inter School in Begusarai, where the exterior walls were given a new coat of the prescribed colour, which closely resembles the saffron shade associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). New polymer signboards carrying the revised name of the school were also installed, The Hindu reported.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and state education minister Mithilesh Tiwari had visited the school on July 19, after announcing the model-school scheme. School authorities said the repainting and installation of the new signboards were carried out with unusual speed.
School principal Kamini Kumari questioned the need for repainting the premises when the building had already received a fresh coat of paint shortly before the latest directive.
“We’ve to follow whatever directive or guideline comes from above,” Kumari, who also teaches chemistry, told the paper.
The school, which dates back to 1888, now bears the name “Saraswati Vidya Niketan, B.P. Inter School, Begusarai”.
According to Kumari, nearly 50 workers were deployed between July 16 and 18 to complete the repainting before the chief minister's visit.
Begusarai district education officer Manoj Kumar said the district has 18 blocks and four additional model schools because of its size. “Work is under way in every model school as per department’s guidelines,” he said.
The Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (BSIEDC), responsible for construction and renovation of government schools, had issued instructions to its district units on July 7.
The communication specified “Sunrise” (0526, Asian Paints) for external walls, chocolate brown enamel for borders, Xtra White for interiors and golden brown enamel for doors and windows. It directed officials to implement the changes “as soon as possible”.
The programme covers 551 model schools across Bihar and has already prompted opposition parties to question both the colour scheme and the decision to rename the institutions. While the state government has presented the exercise as part of its model-school initiative, critics have objected to the use of a colour closely associated with saffron and the BJP.
The controversy comes amid a wider debate over the use of saffron in government-linked institutions and public bodies.
Last month, Hockey India announced that the national team's traditional blue jersey would be replaced with saffron ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands, a decision that drew objections from seven former captains as well as Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.
The Bihar government's school makeover has thus added another layer to the ongoing political debate over whether changes in the appearance and identity of public institutions are administrative decisions or carry a broader political message.
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