As students of the Government schools and their teachers celebrated Gandhi Jayanti in their schools on October 2, most of the private schools of the State remained closed on the day.
In thousands of the Government schools of the State the students and teachers enthusiastically celebrated the Gandhi and Shastri Jayanti on the day. The students took out Prabhat Pheris in the morning raising slogans in favour of non-violence, truth and patriotism.
After the early morning activity, assemblies were held in the schools where the school heads informed them about the life of Mahatma Gandhi and values he stood for.
National flags were hoisted in all the Government schools on the occasion. The Mid Day Meal (MDM) too was specially prepared with most of the schools opting for Kheer and Puri.
This was followed by cultural programmes which consisted of plays, songs and dance sequences, all of which added the patriotic passion among the students.
One of a teacher posted in remote school located in Yamkeshwar block of Pauri Garhwal said that school children were preparing the programmes of cultural event for last many days. “For Government schools the national days are the occasion of annual day of the school where some guest is invited and prizes are distributed to the students’ excelling in different fields,” she informed. However most of the students studying in the private schools were deprived of all these positive activities as they were in the comfort of their homes.
The President of All Uttarakhand Parents Association (AUPA), Neeraj Singhal said that it is unfortunate that the private schools are not celebrating the occasion which is one of a national day.
He blamed the lax attitude of the education department officers for not enforcing these schools to respect the national festivals. Singhal said that the association would request the Education Minister Uttarakhand to make it compulsory for all schools to celebrate national days so that sense of nationalism is inculcated in the students.
He added that the association would also send a letter to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to the issue.
The parents of the students of private schools are also of the view that Gandhi Jayanti should be celebrated in all the schools. “When we were kids’ occasions like Gandhi Jayanti, Independence and Republic days were celebrated with enthusiasm. Now most of the private schools remain closed on the day which is not good,’’ said Arti Balodi a resident of MDDA colony Dalanwala.