Caste-based seating plan lands Bihar school principal in trouble

A government school in Bihar is in the eye of the storm after it was revealed that the students of the school were forced to adhere to a seating plan segregated on the basis of religion and caste for the last four years. The Government of Bihar has now ordered action against the principal of the school.

Vaishali District Magistrate Rajeev Roshan said that the reports of the caste-wise seating arrangement were found to be true, following which action was ordered against the principal.

According to a local source, the GA High School in Lalganj Vaishali, which has over 1,000 students enrolled in Classes IX and X, divided the students on the basis of their religion and caste and asked them to sit in separate classrooms accordingly. Their attendance registers also mention their caste along with their names, so as to ensure that all students stuck to the religion and caste-based division while sitting in the classrooms.

"The issue came to the fore when some students of the school raised an objection to the caste-based segregation, following which the district administration probed the matter and ordered action against the principal, Meena Kumari," the source added.

Kumari, in her defence, said she only continued with the seating plan decided by her predecessor as it was convenient to implement the various welfare schemes of the government if the students were seated accordingly. She also denied that the students had ever been discriminated due to their religion or caste.

The local officials of the education department have sent a detailed report on the matter to the senior officials for information and further recommendation.

The Government of Bihar not just provides scholarships but also funds for buying the uniform and cycle to the students, most of which is now directly transferred to their bank accounts, if the students have 75% attendance.