Jamtara schools revert to Sunday week off instead of Friday amid backlash

Forty schools in Jharkhand’s Jamtara district have given written undertakings stating that they will revert to Sundays as weekly off from Fridays, an official said. According to  district education officer Abhay Shankar, these upgraded primary schools were forced to change their weekly offs from Sundays to Fridays during the lockdown.

He further added that the district school management committee has been dissolved, and a new committee would be formed soon. Meanwhile, Congress sought strict action against those involved in forcing the schools to change the weekly off. In a letter to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, senior Congress leader Ajoy Kumar said stringent action should be taken against anti-social elements behind it.

“As per information, some Muslim youths forced the authorities of two-three schools to change the rule of weekly off from existing Sunday to Friday, claiming that Muslim students in these schools were more than 70%,” Kumar said. “It was then followed by over 50 schools in Jamtara district,” he added.

The right to education is above the right to religious practice, said Kumar, a former MP and AICC in charge of several states. He urged the chief minister that the action taken against the schools be made public.

A few days back, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued a notice to Garhwa district following allegations that some Islamic radicals forced the headmaster of a government-run school to change an age-old prayer song from “Daya Kar Dan Vidya (Please impart knowledge)” to “Tu Hi Ram Hai Tu Rahim Hai (You are Ram and you are Rahim)”.

Children were also being prevented from joining hands during prayers in a middle school at Korwadih village in Sadar block, it was alleged. 

Meanwhile, in June 2022, Jharkhand announced to colour school buildings and school uniforms to be coloured as green and white. According to sources, around 35,000 school buildings were repainted in green and white and over 42 lakh students studying in those schools to get changed uniforms.

With inputs from PTI.