Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was taken aback when an 11-year-old boy requested him on Saturday, May 14, to get him enrolled in a private school to fulfil his dream to become a senior rank office, may be an IAS or IPS officer.
The incident happened when the CM had gone to his native village Kalyan Bigha under Harnaut block in the Nalanda district to pay tributes to his wife Manju Sinha on her 16th death anniversary. Manju Sinha's bust is located at a park in the village.
Sonu Kumar, a Class VI student of government middle school at a nearby Nima Kaul village shouted from behind when the CM was collecting petitions from local residents, requesting him to make arrangements for his proper education.
"Sir, listen to me. My father Ranvijay Yadav, who sells curd and other dairy items to earn a livelihood, does not care for my studies and spends money on consuming alcohol. The education standard at the government middle school I am enrolled in is not up to the mark," a local resident quoted Sonu as saying.
Sonu did not stop there. He said that the Math teacher at the middle school had some problems with numbers and basic English. "I have to give tuition to my juniors to bear the expenses incurred on my education," Sonu told the CM, who was surprised over the minor boys' candid revelation.
After listening to the grievances of Sonu, the CM directed the officials present on the spot to do something for the education of the boy, who was finding it difficult to get proper education due to his family's negligence.
An elderly man, who accompanied Sonu to the venue where CM was listening to the grievances of the local residents, after paying homage to his wife, said, "Sonu gives tuition to nearly 40 students of junior classes to earn a living."
He claimed that Sonu was good at studies and would perform better if provided a congenial atmosphere and proper guidance. Vaibhav Srivastava, deputy development commissioner, who is at present also officiating as district magistrate of Nalanda, later heard the story of the minor boy, who hogged the limelight by seeking the CM's attention for his proper education.
"The boy appears to be intelligent. But apathy of his family is creating hurdles in his education. The district administration will look into the matter and do something positive," Srivastava told a few local journalists.
The opposition parties, however, grabbed the opportunity to attack Nitish Kumar led NDA government in the state. "The minor boy has exposed the teaching standard in government schools in the state," said an RJD worker Manish Kumar.
Manish said that Nitish Kumar never missed the opportunity to boast about an improved education system in the state after he assumed charge as the chief minister in November 2005. "But the reality is far from the CM's claims," he alleged.
