Statement of the Students’ Federation of India   

THE recently declared intermediate results of Bihar State Education Board (BSEB) has yet again brought to fore the deep crisis and anarchy afflicting the education system in the state. In spite of the last year’s ‘topper scam’ which made headlines across the nation, the state government has remained negligent towards filling the vacant teaching posts, ensuring regular conduct of classes and checking the rampant ‘examination mafia’ in the state.

More than eight lakh students have failed in these examinations and Nitish Kumar is even now reluctant to order free rechecking of all the examination sheets. Instead the chief minister has tried to put the onus on few ‘individuals who are bringing disrepute to the state’. This is nothing but running away from the systematic crisis which the education in Bihar today finds itself in. In fact, it is an aggravated form of similar crisis in other states like MP, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh which too have shown very poor board results. Instead of focusing on the ‘poor knowledge of the toppers’ this should be an opportunity to address the deep crisis in the public school system in these states, which has been allowed to deteriorate by the ruling class’ political parties with the sole intention of allowing the private sector to grow.

The Left parties and various student and youth organisations have given a call for Bihar Bandh on June 8 against the educational anarchy in the state demanding free rechecking of all the examination sheets and for a common school system. The CEC of SFI, in a statement issued on June 6, has extended full support to this call and appeals the wider public to understand the gravity of the situation and rally against the designs to destroy the public education system.