Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said: “There is nothing bad in taking inspiration from such a good initiative (Express/Representational photo) Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said: “There is nothing bad in taking inspiration from such a good initiative (Express/Representational photo)

Taking inspiration from a Rajasthan teacher who was honoured in Ahmedabad last Saturday by RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Gujarat government Monday asked all schools to ensure that students respond with “Jai Bharat” or “Jai Hind” during roll call from January 1.

The Government Resolution (GR) was issued in a circular by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, and Director, Primary Education. “In order to instil nationalism from a young age, it is directed that students of all schools, government, grant-in-aid as well as private, should say ‘Jai Bharat’ or ‘Jai Hind’, instead of ‘Yes sir’ or ‘Present sir’ across the state from January 1, 2019. Ensure this is followed across all schools,” the circular states.

According to officials, the decision was inspired by Sandeep Joshi, a History teacher at a school in Rajasthan’s Jalore district, who received the Yashwantrao Kelkar youth award, at the ABVP’s national conference, for his work in education, including for getting his students to say “Jai Hind” and “Jai Bharat” during roll call.

Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said: “There is nothing bad in taking inspiration from such a good initiative. This was followed in Gujarat decades ago but somewhere down the line, it was forgotten.”

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.