Students in Bihar asked to mention caste

Muzaffarpur : Caste still matters in Bihar where even primary school students have to fill it in on their examination cards.

Students in Muzaffarpur , Bihar must mention their caste before being allowed to sit in exams following an order of the District Education Officer.

The class 7th student in Muzaffarpur have been filling their exam admit card but there is one column which a student from no other state or even from other district in Bihar has to fill. The column is about the caste of the student.

"We are asking for the castes so that we can focus on quality education on every section," says Bihar Education Project Coordinator Shankar Kumar.

But the move is also facing criticism.

"What do children understand about Dalit or Maha Dalits? The government is deliberately trying to create a difference," says a teacher Sunil Kumar.

The rule is mandatory even for primary section students, who do not know what caste they belong to.

"We all stay together but after the division on caste, we all will be segregated," says a student

"They (students) have been asked about their castes. This will create a divide amongst the children who have played and grown up together," says Bhola Prasad, parent of a student Shambhu Mahato.

The matter has been brought to the notice of the state government and which has gone for immediate damage control measures.

"This matter has come to our notice. We are investigating the matter. There has been no directive from the government to get the student write down his or her caste," Bihar HRD Minister Hari Narayan Singh.

While the most government run programmes are intended to bridge the divide of caste and religion, this one order, by a senior state functionary, defeats this very spirit, and would only sow the seed of castes in the ripe minds.

(With inputs from Manitosh Kumar)