Tejashwi Yadav flags 5-6 month salary delay for Bihar madrasa, Sanskrit teachers
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has written a formal letter to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, demanding the immediate release of salaries pending for approximately five to six months for teachers and non-teaching staff of aided madrasas and Sanskrit schools across the state. The letter, sent from Patna, also raises pointed concerns about alleged irregularities in the ongoing teacher-transfer process, particularly affecting Urdu, Arabic, and Persian language teachers in government schools.
Salary Crisis in Aided Institutions
According to Yadav's letter, employees of aided madrasas and Sanskrit schools have reportedly gone without pay for nearly half a year, creating significant hardship for families struggling to meet basic expenses including healthcare, education, and household needs. Yadav argued that withholding salaries from staff who have continued to discharge their duties is neither justifiable on humanitarian grounds nor consistent with the obligations of a responsible government.
Alleged Irregularities in the Transfer Process
Yadav said he has received a continuous stream of complaints from teachers regarding the current transfer exercise. He described the treatment of Urdu, Arabic, and Persian teachers as allegedly discriminatory, noting that in some schools, the sole teacher for these subjects had reportedly been declared 'surplus' and placed on the transfer list. 'If only one teacher for a subject is available in a school, treating them as surplus and transferring them is equivalent to ending the teaching of that subject in that school,' Yadav wrote in the letter.
He further alleged that sanctioned posts for Urdu, Arabic, and Persian were being abolished or declared surplus even in schools with adequate student enrolment. He also flagged the reported inclusion of teachers with fewer than five years of service, contractual teachers, and recently transferred teachers in the transfer list — a practice he described as a serious lapse in administrative fairness.
Demand for Language Parity
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader stressed that Urdu and Sanskrit must be treated with equal importance within Bihar's education system. He argued that Urdu, like Sanskrit, forms an integral part of India's shared cultural heritage and deserves equivalent institutional support. Yadav called on the state government to formulate a clear, enforceable policy ensuring the presence of both Urdu and Sanskrit teachers in every government school.
Key Demands Raised
In his letter, Yadav urged the Bihar government to undertake an independent and impartial review of the surplus and transfer lists for Urdu, Arabic, and Persian teachers; cancel transfers found to be in violation of applicable rules; stop the practice of declaring the sole subject teacher in any school as surplus; protect sanctioned posts for these languages; and re-examine cases involving contractual or recently transferred teachers. He also demanded that accountability be fixed and that officials found responsible for procedural violations face action under applicable rules.
Yadav concluded by urging Chief Minister Choudhary to direct the concerned department to take clear, time-bound action, warning that Bihar's education system must not be allowed to deteriorate due to political or administrative negligence. The state government is yet to formally respond to the letter.