Singing Vande Mataram is now mandatory in West Bengal’s government-run and aided schools.
Days after coming to power, the Suvendu Adhikari government in West Bengal has directed state-run and aided schools to mandatorily include the singing of Vande Mataram during morning assemblies with immediate effect. This is according to an official communication issued by the School Education department.
Every student needs to participate in singing the national song at the start of the school day and heads of institutions have been instructed to ensure strict compliance.
“From next Monday, Vande Mataram will be introduced as the prayer song in all schools across the state. I will go to Nabanna today and inform them,” West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told reporters at the Assembly.
“The singing of Vande Mataram during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes should be made mandatory so that Vande Mataram should be sung by all students in all schools in the state with immediate effect,” the Director of Education specified in a communication to state-run and state-aided school heads on May 13.
Following in Centre’s steps
The Union government had recently proposed amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, making obstruction to the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offence.
School authorities have also been asked to document the proceedings, including video recordings, as proof of implementation, he said.
Earlier, schools in the state traditionally sang only the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
The previous TMC government had introduced ‘Banglar Mati Banglar Jol’, also penned by Tagore in 1905 during protests against the partition of Bengal, as the state song.
The national song Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, now adds to the list, raising questions among sections of teachers about the duration and sequencing of both the national anthem and the national song within the limited assembly time.
(With inputs from PTI)