Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters
Growing up, most of us had that one 'friend' whose birthday parties we were forced to attend only because our parents were good friends with their parents. The students of Uttar Pradesh's 1.60 lakh government primary schools could be getting that feeling right about now.
On Sunday, 17 September, all these 1.60 lakh schools will remain open with compulsory attendance for all students in the state. Why? To celebrate PM Narendra Modi's 67th birthday, reported Times Of India.
According to BJP spokesperson Chandra Mohan, the celebrations in the schools are warranted because Modi is an "inspiration for all."
"He is a perfect icon for children because he has led a life full of hardship and today he is the most powerful man in the world's largest democracy," TOI quoted him as saying.
As part of the celebrations, MLAs from the state will visit their adopted schools and create awareness about cleanliness, a cause considered close to Modi's heart.
The BJP has 311 of the 403 MLA's in the state's legislative assembly. Each MLA will visit one school and distribute sweets, talk about Modi's vision of a new India and promote the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), reported Economic Times.
According to Anupma Jaiswal, UP's minister of state for basic education (independent charge), MLAs adopting and visiting schools will ensure community participation, which is important because Modi's dream of a clean India can only be fulfilled by creating awareness among kids. "This will be the best gift to the PM on his birthday," she said.
This is not the first time a holiday has been cancelled in UP schools. According to the ET report, 15 holidays have been cancelled this year alone in the state because children were unaware of whose birthday was being honoured with the holiday. "They all used to think it is another Sunday. This time we want to tell them about the PM and his vision," said Satish Mahana, UP's minister for industrial development.
To this end, the BJP recently held a Samanya Gyan Pratiyogita (general knowledge test) for all schools in the state. The test, taken by about 11 lakh students of the state largely tested children on their knowledge of RSS ideology, Modi government schemes, Hindu mythology and trivia about UP. Among the 100 questions in the test, students were asked to answer things like: 'When was the RSS founded?' 'What is the name of the great leader who founded the RSS?' 'What is the name of the scheme started by PM Modi to clean river Ganga?' 'Which is the place where Lord Rama spent most of his time in exile?', etc.
Another agenda of the MLAs' visit to the schools on Modi's birthday is to keep an eye on the facilities being provided in the schools for the kids, something UP's chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, and Modi, have stressed on in the past.
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