PATNA: The Bihar Education Department has asked district authorities in the state not to engage teachers in caste survey exercises during school hours.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Education Department, K K Pathak, in a missive dated August 8, 2023, to all District Magistrates in the state, urged them to make it sure that teachers are not engaged in caste survey exercises during school hours.
"The field-related activities of the caste survey exercise are almost complete now in the state. Now the data entry work is going on. Therefore, now it is requested that the services of teachers for the data-entry work should not be taken during school hours. Teachers should not be engaged for the remaining works of the caste-survey exercise during school hours", said Pathak in his letter to DMs.
Earlier, Pathak, in another letter, dated August 1, 2023, to all DMs had urged them to make sure that no schools in their respective districts remained without teachers while engaging them in the caste survey exercise.
"DMs are requested to ensure that except caste survey exercise, teachers are not engaged in any other administrative works", he had written in his letter maintaining that the quality of education in government schools should not be affected.
The Bihar government recently resumed the caste survey exercise after the Patna High August 1 judgement. The Patna HC on August 1 held the caste survey being conducted by the Bihar government as valid and legal.
The court also dismissed petitions that were filed against the caste survey started by the state government in June 2022.
The decision of the Patna HC has now been challenged in the Supreme Court.