Bhopal: Come October and children in a part of Madhya Pradesh will have to answer roll call with "Jai Hind" instead of "Yes Madam". The state's BJP government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan says it is meant to develop patriotism in children from a young age. The pilot project, if successful in Satna, will be rolled out across the state.
Information about the plan has been spread through advertisements in local dailies and cellphones.
The state's school education minister Kunwar Vijay Shah said the plan has been "approved by the Chief Minister". The minister said If the experiment was successful, he would seek permission from Mr Chouhan to implement the new method of roll call across the state.
In February last year, all central government-run Kendriya Vidyalayas were asked to hoist the national flag on their premises every day. The flags, principals were told, should be located at a prominent spot so the students could salute it during the morning assembly.
The order from the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan came days after Vice Chancellors of central universities decided to hoist the national flag prominently on their campuses.
Officials of the Human Resource Development Ministry -- which was headed by Union minister Smriti Irani at the time -- said the university heads had made the decision to instill a sense of "unity and integrity" among the students.
The move fueled the raging debate on nationalism in the country in the aftermath of the huge row in Delhi's premier Jawaharlal Nehru University over the raising of anti-national slogans and the sedition case against its student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
Mr Shah had created a stir last year when he asked people of his constituency, Harsud, to pay Rs 10 for clicking selfies with him. The sum, he said, would go to charity.
In July this year, the lawmaker, who is an erstwhile royal from Makrai, had announced a one-year vocational diploma course in astrology in high schools.
Information about the plan has been spread through advertisements in local dailies and cellphones.
The state's school education minister Kunwar Vijay Shah said the plan has been "approved by the Chief Minister". The minister said If the experiment was successful, he would seek permission from Mr Chouhan to implement the new method of roll call across the state.
The order from the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan came days after Vice Chancellors of central universities decided to hoist the national flag prominently on their campuses.
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The move fueled the raging debate on nationalism in the country in the aftermath of the huge row in Delhi's premier Jawaharlal Nehru University over the raising of anti-national slogans and the sedition case against its student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
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In July this year, the lawmaker, who is an erstwhile royal from Makrai, had announced a one-year vocational diploma course in astrology in high schools.
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