Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Tuesday slammed the Education Department in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during a Teacher’s Day programme in Patna.
Referring to the ongoing conflict with the Education Department, without taking any name, the Governor indirectly chastised K.K. Pathak, Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department.
“When a Secretary from the Education Department writes a letter and challenges the rights of the Chancellor asking [for] his autonomy, then we really need to think it over. A Secretary of the Education Department writes such letters. How could he have such courage?“ the Governor said.
The officials were present on the dais at Patna University, where the Wheeler Senate Hall was being inaugurated.
His remark has come amid friction between the Education Department and the Raj Bhavan over the past few weeks.
The Governor wondered how much the department would respect the Vice-Chancellors, Chairmen, and Professors of universities if it accorded this much respect to the Chancellor (the Governor himself).
“Just a while ago, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was saying that Vice-Chancellor Girish Kumar-ji needs an extension. Of course he has done a lot of work. On the call of the Chief Minister, we can think about it, we can also do it. But if you keep the Chancellor of the University below, then the Chancellor definitely cannot think about it. On one hand, you will keep interrupting the Chancellor, and on another hand, you will expect from the Chancellor, this cannot happen,” he added.
The Governor called for a “change in mindset”. “When the people of the administration will humiliate the Vice-Chancellor or any other teacher, then it hurts. Nothing will happen by celebrating Teachers’ Day. Our mindset has to be changed. This problem will be solved when the officers sitting in the administration will have a proper attitude towards the teachers. I get many emails and letters asking why this behaviour is happening. We all need to think about this,“ he said.
The Governor stated that all was well between Mr. Kumar and him. “It often comes in the newspapers that there is a conflict but there is no tension between me and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. I believe that both of us can sit together and discuss and find a solution to the issues,” Mr. Arlekar said.
Last week, the Raj Bhavan sent a letter to the Vice-Chancellors of all the universities in Bihar directing them to not follow any orders other than from the Governor and the Raj Bhavan. The letter stated the instructions to universities by anyone other than the Governor’s Secretariat was not compatible with its autonomy
Soon after, the Education Department sent letters to the Raj Bhavan as well as to the Vice-Chancellors of all the State universities with a fresh set instructions.
Tension erupted between the Raj Bhavan and the State government after the Governor reversed an order of the Bihar Education Department to freeze the bank accounts of two officials at Muzaffarpur’s Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University in August.
During the Teachers’ Day event, Mr. Kumar fell after slipping on the stage, while approaching a plaque. Security officials assisted him. He was uninjured.
The Bihar Education Department on Monday evening withdrew its earlier circular on reducing festive holidays from 23 to 11. The decision triggered a controversy in the State with BJP leaders calling it an “anti-Hindu circular” and demanding withdrawal.
