On October 4, orders to Punjab govt schools: Celebrate Independence Day as Sankalp Parva

Speaking to The Indian Express, Paramjit Singh, Director of School Education (secondary) in Punjab said that it was a “non-issue” and the orders “can now be implemented on I-Day next year”. (Illustration by CR Sasikumar)

On October 4, some principals and teachers of government schools across Punjab could not believe what they were reading. One-and-a-half-month after the country celebrated Independence Day on August 15, the schools received orders to celebrate the day as “Sankalp Parva” to commemorate 75 years of the Quit India Movement. The orders, originally issued from the office of the Minister of Panchayati Raj dated August 7, reached the schools in Punjab on October 4.

In between, the letter juggled from the office of chief secretary of Punjab to the coordination branch of the Punjab government and then reached the education department before finally reaching the office of Director, School Education, Punjab for the final release to the District Education Officers (DEOs) and school principals. Thus, reaching the schools almost fifty days after the Independence Day. As per the bunch of letters (copies with The Indian Express), the office of the chief secretary in Punjab received the letter from the Centre on August 14 and issued an acknowledgement the same day. It further took fourteen days for the letter to reach the coordination branch of the Punjab government which received it on August 28. However, it entered the letter in its official records on September 6. The letter was then forwarded to the education department which further forwarded it to the office of director general school education on September 15.

From September 15 to 27, it further took twelve days for Director, School Education office, to finally release the orders and orders for DEOs and principals were issued on September 29. Due to the Dusshera and Gandhi Jayanti holidays, schools finally received it on October 4. The original letter from the ministry says, ‘It has been decided to commemorate the salutary Quit India movement of 1942 this year and the Independence Day should be celebrated as Sankalp Parva or the Day of Resolve towards a new India.’ It calls for taking ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ oath and signing printing ‘Sankalp patras’.

A school principal from Ludhiana said, “When a teacher in my school said I-Day orders have come, I scolded her for being so negligent and irresponsible. I did not believe her till I saw with my own eyes,” she said.

‘A non-issue, let’s implement next year’

Speaking to The Indian Express, Paramjit Singh, Director of School Education (secondary) in Punjab said that it was a “non-issue” and the orders “can now be implemented on I-Day next year”.