Behind this accident, there is a callous and criminal neglect of the schools in Bihar. There was no protest when the government of Bihar abolished the post of assistant teacher. Bihar became the second state after Madhya Pradesh to do away with the post of regular teacher. Replacing them with para teachers is a pan-India story. The appointment of more than 1.5 lakh para teachers on fixed pay in different slabs was seen as an innovation in governance by the Bihar government. Those were the rosy days of the Nitish Kumar government and he was beyond criticism. The BJP was part of that government then. Naturally, it did not see it as a problem. Educationists too, barring a few, did not raise alarm.