Jharkhand: Education dept orders to drop word ‘Urdu’ from name of non-Urdu schools, reverse weekly offs
In a written reply to BJP MLA Anant Ojha on Tuesday, the education department said that word “Urdu was added at the local level” in 407 schools across the state, while weekly offs were changed from Sunday to Friday in 509 schools.
The Jharkhand government has directed deputy commissioners of all districts to take corrective measures after it came to light that word “Urdu” was added to hundreds of non-Urdu primary schools and their weekly office changed from Sunday to Friday at the local level, officials said on Tuesday.
In a written reply to BJP MLA Anant Ojha on Tuesday, the education department said that word “Urdu was added at the local level” in 407 schools across the state, while weekly offs were changed from Sunday to Friday in 509 schools.
“The word Urdu has been removed from 350 schools till now and weekly offs have been reversed to Sundays in 459 schools,” the department said, adding that accountability of the officers concerned is being fixed.
The matter first came to light last month after a local daily reported about the changes in weekly offs at several non-Urdu schools in Muslim-domimated areas of Jamatara district. As the opposition cried foul, state’s education minister Jagarnath Mahto ordered a statewide survey of all such schools where rules have been violated.
Accusing the state government of giving wrong data, BJP legislator Anant Ojha said, “It shows how Islamisation of government schools is being done in the state. The government data itself says there are many schools where rules are still being violated.”
Since Mahto is hospitalised, parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam assured the House that corrective measures are being taken on the issue. “As soon as it came into the notice of the government, the department has ordered action. The rules are being implemented. Accountability is also being fixed and action will be taken against those responsible,” said Alam.
Sources in the education department said maximum violations were reported from Deoghar district, where word “Urdu” was added to name of 156 non-Urdu schools, followed by 88 in Godda district, 67 in Giridih district, 50 in Palamu district and 14 in Jamtara district.