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The St Joseph's Boys’ High school in Bengaluru has said that their students sing the national anthem every day. This after an official from the Deputy Director of Public Instructions (DDPI) visited the school two weeks ago and told the school about complaints received that the national anthem was not being sung everyday. Moreover, a report in Deccan Herald said that Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh had issued a notice to three schools in Bengaluru — St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Bishop Cottons Boys’ High School and Baldwins Girls’ High School for skipping the national anthem.
Father Sunil Fernandes, the principal of St Joseph's Boys’ High School, said that the national anthem is played and sung daily at the school. He said, “We sing the national anthem at the field assembly which is held twice a week. On other days of the week a recorded version of the national anthem is played via intercom from the Principal’s office and children sing along in the classrooms. The sessions start with a prayer, students reading out news and then ends with the national anthem.”
He further told TNM that DDPI officers raised the question to the school, however no notice was issued to them from the state government or the education department.
“The government has given a circular only now saying the field assembly should be held everyday, everyone will follow it. This allegation is not true. This is giving the wrong message to people. We are a 165-year-old institute, we have always promoted national integrity, religious diversity,” the Principal added.
Two students from St Joseph’s Boys High School confirmed to TNM that the national anthem is sung two days a week at the field assembly, and on other days a recorded version is played from the principal’s office while the students sing along from the classroom. “The members of the choir sing the national anthem along with students at the field assembly,” said a student.
The Karnataka government issued an order on August 17, stating that all government and government-aided schools and PU colleges in the state must sing the national anthem every day during morning assembly. The move was done to inculcate a sense of nationalism and nationalistic pride in students, the order stated.
As per the Karnataka Education Act of 1983, the “state government has a duty to instill civic sense, and to respect the Constitution, constitutional bodies, the national flag and the national anthem”, the order said, adding that if there is a shortage of space in schools, the national anthem can be sung in classrooms daily.