Bihar's government-run model schools have got a fresh coat of paint and a brand-new identity, and the change is running into resistance even from within the ruling alliance. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary formally launched the rebranded schools, now called Saraswati Vidya Niketan, at an event in Begusarai on Sunday, covering students from class 9 to class 12 across all 551 model schools in the state.
What's changing inside the schools
Beyond the new name and paint job, the state says these schools will get modern digital infrastructure, an e-library and smart classrooms. Students will also have access to live interactive classes, along with free coaching for JEE and NEET, the entrance exams for engineering and medical courses respectively, aimed at giving students a shot at competitive exam prep without private tuition costs.
From pink and blue to saffron
The most visible change is the colour. All 551 schools, which earlier carried a mix of pink, sky blue, plain blue or yellow shades, have now been repainted in saffron. That single decision has triggered a political storm, with both opposition parties and JDU, BJP's own ally in the state government, questioning the move. Opposition leaders have gone further, calling it the start of the saffronisation of education in Bihar.
JDU pushes back
JDU spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, "Changing the colour does not guarantee the right to education." His argument is that what actually matters is whether children receive quality schooling. He also flagged a separate concern: when land was donated by individuals for these schools, their names on the commemorative plaques risk being pushed down the order because of the rebranding, something he called a matter of respect for those families' elders.
Kumar's objection also points to how loosely the colour scheme was handled earlier. Until now, there was no fixed rule on what colour a model school should be painted. The choice was left to the discretion of the school's headmaster, and most schools ended up painted pink. Crucially, that repainting used to come out of the individual school's own funds. This time, the state education department carried out the work itself.
New rules for every wall and gate
Under the fresh guidelines, the education department wants uniformity across all model schools: outer walls in saffron or kesariya, the inner walls of classrooms in white, and the main gate painted a light yellow or golden shade.
Land donor families feel sidelined
The renaming has created a separate layer of unhappiness. A number of these model schools were originally named after individuals who had donated their land to build them, and the families of those donors are said to be upset that their school is now officially rebranded as Saraswati Vidya Niketan. The original names haven't actually been deleted, the donor's name still appears, but it now comes after "Saraswati Vidya Niketan" has been added in front of it. JDU has raised questions about this aspect of the change as well, adding another front to the criticism facing the state government over its own school makeover.
