State-Centre face-off over I-Day celebrations
The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has issued a circular that is in clear confrontation with the Union government’s directive on Independence Day celebrations in schools.
In a recent circular, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) had directed educational institutions across the country to celebrate the 70th Independence of India in a definite format. The circular directed educational institutions to include quiz contests, lectures, debates, and other programmes in the celebrations. Schools were also asked to make a video of the celebration and submit the footages to the nearest Sarva Shiksha Mission (SSM) office by August 31, 2017.
The state government’s education department, in turn, has issued another circular on August 11, directing project officers of SSM to direct all schools and educational institutions to not celebrate independence day as per the Union prescription.
The last paragraph of the state’s circular read, “It has been decided by the School Education Department that Independence Day 2017 will not be celebrated in this manner.”
Sources said that the state’s circular had been issued on the instruction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is currently at loggerheads with the Central government and is garnering forces against the BJP-led government for her ‘BJP Quit India’ movement’. “The CM …read more
