New Delhi: At a time when there’s a growing clamour supporting nationalism, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed all its affiliated schools to strictly adhere to the code of the national flag and ensure that there is no insult to the national honour.
“In view of the writ petition of 2016 filed at the high court of Madhya Pradesh, Jabalpur, the schools affiliated to CBSE are hereby directed to ensure strict compliance of provisions contained in the Flag Code of India, 2002 and The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971,” the board said in a circular.
According to the Flag Code of India, the tricolour should only be made of hand woven wool, cotton, khadi or silk in the appropriate sizes and shall not be used for any commercial purpose.
“If the flag is to be hoisted at schools or any educational institution, the school shall assemble in open square formation with pupils forming three side and flag-staff at the centre of the fourth side. The flag salutation has to be followed by singing of the national anthem,” the code says.
The Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act bars any person from burning, mutilating, defacing, destroying or trampling upon the National Flag at any public place or place within public view.
The schools have also been asked to use paper flags for any cultural or sports events rather than plastic flags and ensure they are not discarded on the ground after the event is over. Last year, the board had even issued a detailed instruction on how and when to play or sing the national anthem with decorum and respect, seeking its strict compliance. In January this year, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had demanded that Amazon’s Canada branch stop sale of doormats bearing an image of the Indian national flag. She had threatened to cancel visas of their employees and demanded an unconditional apology.
There are 1,117 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 2,685 government and aided schools, 14,141 independent schools, 589 Jawahar Novodaya Vidyalayas and 14 Central Tibetan schools affiliated to the CBSE.
Last year, the board had even issued a detailed instruction on how and when to play or sing "National Anthem" with decorum and respect, seeking its strict compliance.
