The state Education Department instructed all schools to remain open so that students and teachers can watch the live telecast of NEP event.
Representational image
In a controversial move, the Gujarat Government cancelled Saturday’s Muharram holiday for school students and their teachers and asked them to instead watch a webcast of the event in Delhi to mark three years of the New Education Policy (NEP).
Through a circular late on Friday, the state Education Department instructed all schools to remain open on Saturday so that students and teachers can watch the live telecast of Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The directive to remain open on a pre-declared holiday would be applicable to all government, government-aided and private secondary and higher secondary schools.
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The primary schools have been exempted from the compulsion to watch the celebrations of three years of the NEP being held at the newly re-built Pragati Maidan in Delhi.
The Education Department circular also made it clear that the school authorities will have to compile reports about the number of students, teachers and other citizens who have viewed the webcast at their premises.
While Muslims have not publicly reacted to the last minute cancellation of their traditional Muharram holiday, educationists have flayed the decision about ‘celebrations’ of the NEP.
Economist Hemant Shah, retired principal of a local college, said that the NEP should be ‘evaluated’ not ‘celebrated.’
In a social media post, Prof Shah questioned whether the Gujarat Government ever dared to cancel Janmashtami holiday to facilitate watching such a webcast. He said many Muslims would not turn up at schools because of Muharram and that would be used to propagate “look, they take no interest in government policies.”
It is simply a move to publicise BJP and Narendra Modi at government expenses, added Prof Shah who has published many critiques of the NDA dispensation’s economic policies.
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