Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari's big move: 'Vande Mataram’ made mandatory during morning school assemblies

A notice issued by the state school education department said that the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ should be made mandatory during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes in all schools with immediate effect.

In a major move, the West Bengal government, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has made ‘Vande Mataram’ mandatory in morning assemblies every day before classes begin. This new directive officially replaces the previous state song, "Banglar Mati Banglar Jal." The mandatory rule aligns with the central government's initiative to honor the 150th anniversary of India's historic National Song across educational institutions in the state.

A notice issued by the state school education department said that the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ should be made mandatory during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes in all schools with immediate effect.

"The singing of ‘Vande Mataram' during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes should be made mandatory so that ‘Vande Mataram' is sung by all students in all schools in the state with immediate effect," the school education department notice to institute heads stated, according to a TOI report.

Confusion over the order

Following the order, school authorities have expressed concern over the directive, stating that it does not mention anything about the state song, and have also expressed concern over the feasibility of making children sing three songs, ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Banglar mati’, and the National Anthem, during the morning prayer.

"We cannot drop the National Anthem, as it is a must. Now our first song will be ‘Vande Mataram’, and adding the state song will take more time, which will delay classes. Though the notice did not mention anything about the state song, retaining students for three songs is not an easy task," TOI quoted a school head as saying.

Several schools in West Bengal, including Jadavpur Vidyapith, have begun implementing the order in morning assemblies, while others are awaiting further clarification.

Jadavpur Vidyapith headmaster Partha Pratim Baidya said that they have started singing ‘Vande Mataram’ before the National Anthem since last week.

"Since last week, we have been singing ‘Vande Mataram' before the National Anthem," TOI quoted him as saying.

Jodhpur Park Boys' School headmaster Amit Sen Majumder said that they will implement the order once school reopens after the summer break.

"We will implement the order once the school reopens after the summer vacation," TOI quoted him as saying.

Meanwhile, Mitra Institution, Bhawanipur headmaster Raja Dey said that they have sought clarification from the school education department regarding the order.

"We sought clarification from the school education department to understand whether all three songs are mandatory or whether we should drop the state song. We are expecting a clarification before the summer break ends," TOI quoted him as saying.

Education Department on the issue

Meanwhile, the education department was also not able to clarify the queries regarding the order. They said that they have been asked to introduce ‘Vande Mataram’ as the school prayer and that there is no mention of the state song. "We have been asked to introduce ‘Vande Mataram' as school prayer, but there is no mention of the state song," TOI quoted the official as saying.

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