National anthem must be sung during morning assembly in schools, orders Karnataka education department

The Department of School Education and Literacy in Karnataka has issued an order making the singing of Jana, Gana, Mana mandatory in response to reports that several elementary and high schools in Bengaluru were skipping the national anthem during the morning assembly.

According to a department official, complaints about particular private schools in Bengaluru not following the required protocol for performing the national anthem during morning assembly were filed to Education Minister B C Nagesh. The official stated that “some schools are avoiding singing the national anthem and some are singing only twice a week.”

The department has mandated that schools require students to sing the national anthem in order to foster a sense of pride and respect for the country, citing the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ order on the issue.

The responsibility of visiting the schools that are breaking the norm has also been given to officials of the Deputy Director for Public Instruction (DDPI). If there are space constraints during the morning assembly, the students may sing the national anthem in their classrooms, according to the instruction.

“Last week, notices were issued to schools where students were not singing the national anthem. Now, they have assured that they will be singing the national anthem regularly,” said Lohithashwa Reddy, DDPI of Bengaluru North.