The Bihar Education Department often makes the headlines for the wrong reasons and now they are again in the news over an outrageous incident after declaring a male BPSC (Bihar Public Service Commission) teacher pregnant and they sanctioned his maternity leave in the Vaishali district.
The strange incident took place at Hasanpur Osti High School in Hajipur Mahua block area. Jitendra Kumar Singh, a BPSC teacher at the school has been reported to be on leave due to pregnancy.
The same has been claimed by the education department on its official portal, Eshikshakosh, where the maternity leaves are registered. Teachers have been using the portal since the month of November. According to reports, the teacher has been on leave since then. Maternity leave is indicated in the teacher’s attendance column for the month of December. He has been granted this leave from 2nd to 10th December.
Jitendra Kumar Singh’s name was inadvertently added to the portal by the department, but it will be removed shortly, according to Block Education Officer (BEO) Archana Kumari.
“The error occurred due to some technical snag and it will be corrected. The teacher’s leave has been marked under a category to which he is not even entitled. The CLs applied by women teachers are showing as ELs. Corrective action will be taken after looking into this matter. Male teachers also get a 15-day leave but under a separate category,” she stated.
There is also anger among the district’s teachers about the manner in which a male teacher was granted leave that is only reserved for women. Teachers in Bihar are granted 180 days of maternity leave. Maternity leave for up to two children is also available to government employees. Notably, the department forewarned district education officials last month that leniency in school inspections would not be accepted and that those who engage in it would face severe consequences.