‘Cannot look beyond RSS’: Minister rebuts Opposition attack on Bihar model schools

4 min readPatnaUpdated: Jun 21, 2026 10:28 AM IST

The Bihar government's decision to name its proposed model schools 'Saraswati Gyan Niketan' has drawn Opposition backlash. Under the state's 'Unnat Shiksha–Ujjwal Bhavishya' programme, one such school will be developed in each of Bihar's 534 blocks

As the Bihar government’s proposed ‘Saraswati Vidya Niketan’ model schools draw Opposition charges of saffronising education, Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari has hit back, saying the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) “cannot look beyond the RSS”.

The Bihar government’s decision to name its proposed model schools ‘Saraswati Vidya Niketann’ has drawn Opposition backlash. Under the state’s ‘Unnat Shiksha–Ujjwal Bhavishya’ programme, one such school will be developed in each of Bihar’s 534 blocks

The row centres on the name, which resembles Saraswati Vidya Niketan and Saraswati Shishu Mandir, schools run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s education wing.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Tiwari said the initiative was aimed not only at creating high-quality infrastructure but also at restoring the Indian knowledge system and promoting cultural nationalism, while attracting meritorious students back to government schools.

“Our idea behind opening model high schools is to bring good students back to government schools. While we offer them the regular school syllabus, we will prepare them simultaneously for competitive examinations with the best of teachers and in extra shifts if needed.”

Asked whether the model schools would follow a distinct syllabus, the education minister said: “It would be in complete sync with the New Education Policy. Our idea is to restore and strengthen the Indian knowledge system and take pride in cultural nationalism.”

He also dismissed the Opposition’s allegations that the government was following an RSS model.

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“The RJD and other Opposition parties cannot look beyond the RSS angle to anything being done in the name of education reforms. I want to ask, if the names of our model schools cannot be after Goddess Saraswati, what else should they be? In fact, I will tell my department to worship the goddess deity round the year. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped only on Diwali,” he said.

RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta said the government should have adopted a more inclusive model.

“CM Samrat Choudhary should have gone for a Samrat Ashoka model of composite culture rather than following the RSS or Nagpur model. We demand that the state government reveal the full syllabus of these model schools and tell us what they plan to teach,” he said.

Former Congress Legislature Party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan said the NDA government’s model schools were based on RSS philosophy.

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“By mimicking the RSS model of schools, they have made their intentions clear. But they should remember that the roots of our composite culture are deeply entrenched and they will not succeed in this bid,” he said.

The Samrat Choudhary government approved the ‘Unnat Shiksha – Ujjwal Bhavishya’ scheme at a Cabinet meeting last month. Under it, one high school (Classes 9-12) in each block will be designated as a ‘Saraswati Vidya Niketan’. Students will be admitted through an entrance test and will also receive coaching for competitive examinations such as JEE and NEET.

The academic session is scheduled to begin in July, with around 90,000 students already enrolled. Officials said teachers are being recruited through a panel headed by the education secretary.

“The process is being closely monitored by both the education minister and the chief minister. The schools are fully funded by the state government and form part of its Saat Nischay-3 programme. The government’s plan places heavy emphasis on value-based, traditional and holistic education combined with modern technology, conceptually mirroring a modern-plus-traditional approach,” an Education Department official said.

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008.

Expertise

He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance.

Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

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