West Bengal govt makes Vande Mataram mandatory in school assemblies
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The West Bengal government has directed all State-run and State-aided schools to make the singing of Vande Mataram mandatory during morning assemblies with immediate effect, according to an official communication issued by the School Education Department.
The directive states that all students must participate in singing the national song at the beginning of the school day, and heads of institutions have been instructed to ensure strict compliance.
“From next Monday (May 18, 2026), Vande Mataram will be introduced as the prayer song in all schools across the State. I will go to Nabanna today and inform them,” West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told reporters at the Assembly.
In a communication dated May 13, the Director of Education instructed heads of State-run and State-aided schools that “the singing of Vande Mataram during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes should be made mandatory so that Vande Mataram should be sung by all students in all schools in the State with immediate effect”.
The move comes shortly after the Union government initiated steps to strengthen provisions related to respect for national symbols, including a proposed amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which seeks to make obstruction to the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offence.
A School Education Department official said on Thursday that the national song is to be performed at the beginning of the assembly session. The official added that schools have also been instructed to document the proceedings, including through video recordings, as proof of implementation.
Traditionally, schools in the State sang only the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore. In recent years, the previous Trinamool Congress government had also introduced Banglar Mati Banglar Jol, another composition by Tagore written during the 1905 protests against the partition of Bengal, as the State song.
The inclusion of Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, has now added to the list of songs performed during assemblies, prompting questions among sections of teachers about the duration and sequencing of the national anthem and national song within limited assembly time.
Subhrojit Dutta, headmaster of Hindu School, said students would sing Vande Mataram along with the national anthem once schools reopen after the summer vacation.
“Our students had already been informed about the historical significance of Vande Mataram on the occasion of its 150th year, and they had been asked to recite the lines and memorise it at home before this notice was issued,” he said.
A spokesperson of a Left-run teachers’ representative body said further clarity was needed regarding whether all songs would be sung daily and how they would be accommodated within the existing assembly schedule.
With PTI inputs