‘Schoolchildren’ made to carry textbook bundles in Barh, education department seeks answers

Patna: An episode that has laid bare glaring flaws in the state’s education system has surfaced from an upgraded middle school in Masathu village, under Ekdanga panchayat in the Barh subdivision of Patna district.

A purported video, which has gone viral on social media, shows students from classes V to VIII carrying heavy bundles of textbooks on their heads and transporting them into the school premises for distribution. The visuals, widely shared and debated, triggered public outrage and prompted attention from the education department.


According to eyewitnesses and students, the textbooks — meant for free distribution under various govt schemes — were transported from the Barh block cluster office to the vicinity of the school in two e-rickshaws. However, the e-rickshaw drivers refused to take the load inside the school campus. It was at this point, students alleged, that a schoolteacher instructed the children to unload the books and carry the heavy bundles themselves, balancing them on their heads.

The incident took place in full public view and one of the e-rickshaw drivers recorded the episode on his cellphone. The video later became the basis of widespread criticism with many questioning how children could be asked to perform such physically demanding work within school hours.

Sources said when the school’s incharge, Mohammad Shakeel Ahmed, arrived at the spot, he attempted to intervene and prevent the issue from escalating. He told the e-rickshaw driver that payment would be released only after the books were fully delivered inside the school premises.

A Class VIII student alleged that the school incharge himself assigned the task to him and several other students, asking them to carry the textbook bundles into the school building.

Taking cognizance of the matter, block education officer (BDO), Barh, Amit Kumar issued a show-cause notice to the school head, seeking an explanation of the circumstances under which schoolchildren were allegedly engaged in manual labour. “The matter came to light around 3pm on Saturday when I received a video of the incident. After verifying it, the notice was issued late in the evening,” he said.

The BDO made it clear that the matter would not be taken lightly. “Strict disciplinary action will be taken against the school head if he failed to give a satisfactory answer,” he added.

Kumar also pointed out an additional concern that has emerged during the preliminary inquiry. He said the children seen in the video were not wearing school uniforms, raising doubts over whether they were enrolled students of the institution. “This aspect will also be investigated as part of the inquiry,” he said.