Now Reading: No Vande Mataram directive for Kerala schools on Independence Day
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No Vande Mataram directive for Kerala schools on Independence Day
Kerala's Director of General Education, Snehil Kumar Singh, issued a circular for Independence Day celebrations that mandates hoisting the national flag and singing the national anthem, but makes no mention of Vande…
The Story in Brief
Kerala's Director of General Education, Snehil Kumar Singh, issued a circular for Independence Day celebrations that mandates hoisting the national flag and singing the national anthem, but makes no mention of Vande Mataram. The circular, sent to all school heads and education officials, follows a General Administration (Protocol) department circular from August 4, which also does not include the national song.
The instruction comes amid a row over Chief Secretary's directive to government departments to recite Vande Mataram in full. Chief Minister has said that directive related to the Union government's Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and that the state's stand would be clear on Independence Day. The circular also bans plastic flags and mandates green protocol.
The Indian Opinion
The absence of Vande Mataram from the schools circular is being read by some as a political snub, but the documents show it is simply following the Protocol department's template. No one has yet explained why the Chief Secretary's separate directive exists or whether it overrides the education circular. The test will come on August 15: if schools recite only the national anthem as per the DGE circular, the controversy is procedural, not ideological.
Sources (2): english.mathrubhumi.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
