Jai Hind' attendance call debuts in MP schools

Bhopal: “Jai Hind”, the new way of answering the roll call by students to register their presence in the classes, on Tuesday made a debut in schools in Madhya Pradesh. Students studying in Madhya Pradesh government schools will now be answering their roll calls by saying “Jai Hind” instead of “present ma’am or sir”. 

The new roll call answer, seen as a part of move by the BJP government to saffronise education by Opposition Congress and religious minority groups, was practised in all government-run schools in Satna district in the state on Tuesday. The new rule is a part of a pilot project which would be extended to educational institutions being run both by government and private bodies in other districts as well.

The students of government-run schools in Satna district adopted the term for answering the roll call instead of Yes Sir or Yes Ma’am, the traditional way of registering their presence in their classes.

“The term Jai Hindi inculcates a sense of patriotism among the school students. Students were seen adopting it enthusiastically. It romanticised the environment,” headmaster of government-run school in the district headquarters of Satna told this newspaper on Tuesday.

State education minister Viajy Shah has earlier announced that “Jai Hind” would replace “yes sir or madam” in both government and private schools to create a sense of patriotism in the students. However, an MP Congress spokesman had described it as a move to saffronise the education. “Patriotism is inculcated among students not enforced,” he said