In a surprising and amusing incident, a male government teacher in Bihar successfully applied for maternity leave and enjoyed a week-long holiday after it was sanctioned. The teacher, identified as Jitendra Kumar Singh, was posted in a school in Vaishali district. The abnormality came to public attention after users of the online leave portal for government teachers took a screenshot of the approved maternity leave and shared it on social media.
However, authorities have clarified that the incident was the result of a "technical error" in the system. They assured that the error would be rectified and dismissed any suggestion of malpractice. "It is a case of wrongful entry in the leave application format. The error is technical and will be rectified," said Archana Kumari, the education officer in charge of Mahua block in Vaishali district, where Singh is posted.
Kumari agreed that maternity leaves were granted only to women, but pointed out that "even males get 'pitritva avakash' (paternity leave) to look after their newborns". "We will find out the details of this instance which has been brought to our notice...Some teachers have complained of their earned leaves being deducted even though they had applied for casual leaves," Kumari added.
The anomaly has become a topic of humour and criticism among local male teachers, who have expressed both anger and amusement. Social media platforms are flooded with jokes and memes targeting the education department’s inefficiency.
Maternity leave guidelines
It should be noted here that maternity leave is exclusively meant for female teachers, particularly for pregnancy and childbirth. However, this bizarre administrative error has flipped the norm, granting the leave to a male teacher and leading to widespread ridicule.
(Inputs from Raja Babu)
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