Bihar district’s ‘half-day leave’ for staff during Ramadan triggers row

However, an order issued on March 23 by the Nalanda district education officer said: “All primary schools in the district are allowed to conduct its morning school shift between 6.30 am and 9.30 am and day shift between 9 am and 1.30 pm in view of the holy month of Ramadan.”

Primary Education Director Ravi Prakash was not available for comment. An education department official, however, said: “The department has been looking into the complaints about some districts tweaking the order.”

The normal school time is from 9 am to 4 pm, but it is changed to 8 am to 3 pm during Ramadan in schools where there are Muslim teachers. Bihar Teachers Eligibility Test (BTET) Association and the BJP, meanwhile, objected to the state government order.

“The Nalanda administration has not complied with the order for primary schools. It would create discrimination. What if Hindu teachers start asking for similar relaxation during Shravan month or during Durga puja/ Navratra?” BTET Association president Amit Vikram told The Indian Express.

BJP OBC Morcha national general secretary and party’s spokesman Nikhil Anand said: “Relaxation to Muslim employees is an act of appeasement by the Nitish Kumar government. We simply want to know if we are following any Shariah law or going by the Constitution.”

JD (U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said: “BJP is unnecessarily raking up the issue as this provision has been in place for long and was followed during NDA rule.” On Nalanda giving a half-day leave to employees, he said: “We have no such information.”