Bihar Teacher Returns 33-Month Salary Of Rs 24 Lakh, Says Teaching In College Is Like 'Academic Death'

Setting a new benchmark of honesty and integrity, a college professor in Bihar has returned his salary of two years and nine months worth nearly ₹24 lakh as students were not attending his Hindi classes since he joined the college in 2019.

Dr Lalan Kumar, who teaches Hindi in Nitishwar College under Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University (BRABU) in Muzaffarpur district, said he fears "academic death" unless shifted to a different college by the affiliating university. Out of 131 students, he claimed that none of them attended his class.

"Why should I accept salary when I have not taught the students enrolled in the department?" he said, according to The New Indian Express. He has returned his salary by sending a cheque and a letter to the university vice-chancellor.

Dr Kumar graduated from Delhi University while completing his post-graduation from JNU. He did his M.Phil. and PhD from Delhi University.

"When I had joined, I was not posted to a college where I could teach postgraduate classes. Those with lower ranks got those postings. Here, the students never show up." He alleged that his name was "cut" from the transfer list several times.

"I will start a sit-in protest if my demand isn't met," he told NDTV.

'Claim Has No Basis'

The authorities have not yet accepted the protest payback, nor do they buy his logic upfront.

The college principal, Manoj Kumar, claimed the contention of zero-attendance has no basis. "For two years, classes were disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic," he said, arguing that Lallan Kumar "should've told me directly if he wanted a transfer".

RK Thakur, Vice-Chancellor of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, said that Kumar is upset regarding his transfer demand.

"He has given us a cheque, but we have not accepted it," Thakur said.

High Dropout Rates In Bihar

The pandemic forced educational institutions in India to switch to online learning mode. However, once the unlocking process began in the country, most schools and colleges decided to resume offline classes to bridge the learning gap. But the turn-up hasn't been impressive ever since Firstpost reported.

With a seemingly snowballing crisis, the question of government intervention to improve the situation arises. To keep a check on the dropout rate, the education department of Bihar has reportedly planned to set up a database to track all students until they reach the higher secondary level.

Furthermore, the state education department also started an admission drive across Bihar in April to bring school dropouts back to classrooms. And this came at a time when it was reported, in February, that as many as 10 lakh children dropped out of schools in Bihar during the lockdown.

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