Model Sanskrit schools in all districts shortly, states Bihar govt

State govt will convert a Sanskrit school in each of the 38 districts of Bihar into a model school, additional chief secretary (ACS) S Siddharth announced at a function on Sanskrit Diwas on Tuesday.

Speaking after inaugurating a new website and portal for the Bihar Sanskrit Shiksha Board (BSSB), in the presence of health minister Mangal Pandey, the ACS stated that these model Sanskrit schools will possess state-of-the-art facilities such as computers, laboratories, and libraries. He also stated that a meeting would be convened soon with the BSSB chairman to discuss the demands brought up by principals of Sanskrit schools before a policy decision would be taken.

BSSB chairman Mritunjay Jha informed this newspaper that he had already given a list of 45 schools recommended for upgrading. He also informed that the BSSB had sanctioned a revised syllabus after 27 years. "The new syllabus features the Ramcharitmanas and the Bhagavad Gita for instilling moral values in students. We have sent the revised syllabus to the ACS for government approval," he said.

Jha further stated that the new portal and website would help principals and teachers by making online services and information easily accessible to them. He added that ACS had listened attentively to complaints and demands raised by principals and teachers at the event. These were pay revision, pension, modernisation of existing buildings, construction of new infrastructure, inclusion of Sanskrit in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Class XII Sanskrit toppers' scholarship, and introduction of uniform, textbooks, and midday meal schemes in all Sanskrit schools.

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary and BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal were also present on the occasion.

Samrat accepted that Sanskrit had not been encouraged as strongly as it ought to have been. Referring to the language as "completely mathematical", he added, "As far as getting marks in the examination is concerned, students can get more marks in Sanskrit than in Hindi or English. The state government will do everything to encourage Sanskrit in Bihar."

Jaiswal promised the assembly that the BJP would leave no stone unturned for the growth of Sanskrit education and schools. "If required, it will also be placed in the election manifesto," he further added.