On Friday, November 11, while addressing an event organised to mark the birth anniversary of India's first Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar stressed the need for educating girls as this has been proven to help check population growth, as stated in a report by PTI. 

"If a girl is matriculate, the fertility rate on an average comes down to two per cent, and if she has completed school education, it further falls to 1.7 per cent nationally,” he pointed out. The female fertility rate of those who passed Class XII in Bihar is 1.6 per cent which is less than the national average, he added. 

"The Bihar government has been consistently working towards providing the best possible education to the students of the state. The government has also decided to increase the budget allocation for the sector from 21 per cent to 25 per cent of the total budget," he added.  

Additionally, he warned of action against teachers if they fail to perform their duties. In this context, he said "Teachers play a crucial role in shaping society. Therefore, they must strive to provide quality education to their pupils at all times. Action will be taken against them if they fail to perform their duties."

Speaking about the occasion, the chief minister said, "He (Azad) was a scholar, educationist, and freedom fighter who played an instrumental role in the development of the education system of independent India. He, like Mahatma Gandhiji, knew that Hindu-Muslim unity was very necessary for the freedom of India and worked for this... We must build tolerance and respect towards different faiths."

Moreover, he also launched a book about guidelines for ditching school bags on Saturday. Saturdays will be a 'bagless' day in all the government schools of the state, said Dipak Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department.