West Bengal Mandates Vande Mataram in School Assemblies

The West Bengal School Education Department has directed all state-run and aided schools to make the singing of Vande Mataram mandatory during morning assemblies, with the order taking immediate effect across the state.

The directive, communicated to heads of institutions on May 13, requires every student to participate in singing the national song at the beginning of the daily school assembly before classes start. School authorities must ensure strict compliance and document the proceedings through video recordings as proof of implementation. District inspectors of schools have also received instructions to monitor adherence.

The move aligns with recent efforts by the central government to promote respect for national symbols, including a proposed amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, that would make obstructing the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offense.

Historically, schools in West Bengal have begun assemblies with the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore. In recent years, the state song Banglar Mati Banglar Jol, also penned by Tagore during protests against the 1905 Bengal partition, was added to the routine....