Freshly Painted Bihar Model Schools Repainted Again in 'Sunrise' Colour, Renamed
New Delhi: Bihar’s model schools are being repainted in a government-prescribed “sunrise” colour and renamed “Saraswati Vidya Niketan”, with the exercise involving fresh expenditure at schools that had been painted only days earlier.
According to a report in The Hindu on Saturday (August 8), the exterior walls of B.P. Inter School in Begusarai have been repainted in the prescribed colour, which closely resembles the saffron colour associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The school’s new name has also been put up on polymer signboards.
Bihar chief minister Samrat Choudhary and state education minister Mithilesh Tiwari had visited the school on July 19 and announced the new scheme. The signboards and repainting were completed in what school principals described as a “just three days’ haste”.
School principal Kamini Kumari questioned why the building, which had been painted afresh only a few days earlier, had to be repainted following the government’s directive.
“We’ve to follow whatever directive or guideline comes from above,” Kumari, who also teaches chemistry, told The Hindu.
The school, which was established in 1888, now has a signboard identifying it as “Saraswati Vidya Niketan, B.P. Inter School, Begusarai”. Kumari told The Hindu that nearly 50 workers had been engaged from July 16 to 18 to give the building a fresh coat of the prescribed colour and complete the work before Choudhary’s visit.
Begusarai district education officer Manoj Kumar told The Hindu that the district has 18 blocks and four additional model schools because of its size. “Work is under way in every model school as per department’s guidelines,” he said.
The Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (BSIEDC), which looks after renovation and construction of government schools, had issued a letter on July 7 to its district units regarding the repainting of the schools, according to the report.
The letter prescribed “Sunrise” (0526, Asian Paints) for external walls, chocolate brown enamel for the borders, Xtra White for interiors and golden brown enamel for doors and windows. It instructed that the directive be implemented “as soon as possible,” The Hindu reported.
The repainting and renaming of the 551 model schools had already triggered a political controversy in Bihar. The government has described the exercise as part of its model-school initiative, while opposition parties have criticised the use of a colour closely resembling saffron and the renaming of the schools.
This is the latest instance of a BJP state government attempting to paint something in a colour resembling saffron.
Last month, Hockey India announced that the traditional blue jersey will be replaced with saffron, weeks ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands. This move has enraged seven ex-captains of the game and even Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.
This article went live on August eighth, two thousand twenty six, at twenty-one minutes past five in the evening.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
