Buxar’s government-school infrastructure drive is facing complaints over delayed reimbursements, fund shortages and paperwork, with headmasters warning that the administrative burden could complicate repairs scheduled for completion by November 30.
The Seva Sankalp evam Kayakalp Abhiyan covers 1,252 government schools in the district, including 1,093 primary schools and 159 secondary and higher secondary schools. The campaign, launched on September 17, requires schools to complete existing infrastructure repairs and upgrades by November 30. New infrastructure projects have been given a longer deadline of March 31, 2027.
The listed works include minor repairs, painting school buildings and classrooms, improving sanitation facilities, repairing electrical wiring, installing fans and lights, ensuring safe drinking water, and repairing desks and benches. Drainage improvements, bicycle stands and playground levelling are also included in the programme.
Several headmasters told the Times of India that they were struggling to arrange funds and obtain reimbursements after spending money on school-related work. They are also required to submit expenditure statements, supporting documents and photographs after the work is completed.
Ravindra Prasad, headmaster of Middle School, Amathuan, said he had spent Rs 20,000 from his own pocket on an educational tour. He said the utilisation documents were submitted around six months ago, but the reimbursement remained pending. Prasad also said he had approached the Lok Shikayat forum in Buxar without receiving the payment.
Yatindra Kumar Chaubey, district president of the Bihar Rajya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, said around 20 cases of pending educational tour payments had been reported in the district. He questioned the assignment of construction-related responsibilities to teachers, arguing that their primary duty was teaching students.
“The government is turning teachers into contractors. If the administration has engineers and technical staff, why can’t it execute the Kayakalp works through its own agencies?” Chaubey said, urging the district magistrate to intervene.
The reported delays place the reimbursement process alongside the infrastructure programme’s implementation deadline. Headmasters have sought timely fund releases and an administrative mechanism to handle technical work without affecting academic responsibilities. Existing infrastructure works under the campaign are scheduled to be completed by November 30, while new projects must be completed by March 31, 2027.
