Nation First, For Gujarat: Students In State Schools Will Mark Attendance Call With ‘Jai Hind’, ‘Jai Bharat’ From Today

Students in Gujarat schools from today (1 January) will mark their attendance in class by saying either Jai Hind or Jai Bharat instead of ‘yes sir/madam’ or ‘present sir/madam’, Hindustan Times has reported.

The move, according to a notification issued on Monday (31 December), is aimed at instilling the feeling of patriotism in students right from childhood.

According to the report, the notification was issued by the Directorate of Primary Education and Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) and lays down that from 1 January, students of class 1-12 in state’s schools will respond to the roll call with either Jai Hind or Jai Bharat.

District education officials were sent copies of the notification with instructions to implement the decision from 1 January.

“In order to instill nationalism from a young age, it is directed that students of all schools, government, grant-in-aid as well as private, should say Jai Bharat or Jai Hind, instead of Yes sir or Present sir across the state from 1 January 2019. Ensure this is followed across all schools,” the circular stated.

The notification reportedly states that the decision to introduce new roll call was taken by the state Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama in a review meeting held on Monday (31 December).