The West Bengal government has termed as "ridiculous" the HRD ministry's direction on how to celebrate the Teachers' Day in schools and said it would ask the educational institutions to observe the day in a "befitting manner".
In response to a question on the issue, state Education minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters here yesterday, "Sorry, we cannot go by their stipulations. The circular is ridiculous."
He said that the Centre's directive to schools to conduct sit and draw competition, essay competition on a particular subject is laughable.
"Doesn't the state know how to observe Teachers' Day in schools?" Chatterjee asked.
He said that the state government had already sent circulars to schools, as is the usual practice, "to observe the occasion in a befitting manner, the way our institutions had been observing the day all these years."
The state knows how to show respect to a personality like Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Chatterjee added.
A circular by the Secretary in the Ministry of HRD, Anil Swarup, posted on the MHRD website, says, "The Hon'ble Prime Minister has suggested to promote the message of Swachhta on a massive scale and engage smart, young minds in the Swachch Bharat Mission through national level essay and painting competitions organised across all the schools on occasion of Teacher's Day, i.E. September 5, 2017."
This initiative would ensure a structured participation of the school children, youth in the programme and bring in fresh ideas, energy and enthusiasm to the Mission.
"The painting competition will be for students from class I to V and the essay competition may involve students in two categories one for class VI to class VIII and other for class IX to class XII," the circular says.
"The theme of the essay competition is proposed to be 'What will I do to make India clean' while that for the painting competition is proposed to be 'clean India of my dreams...'
"It is accordingly recommended that every school strongly encourages all students to participate in the essay and painting competitions," said the August 16 circular, copy of which was sent to chief secretaries of all states.
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