JAIPUR: Rajasthan higher education department has directed the government colleges to install statues of Swami Vivekananda on their campuses which don't have any statute of 'Inspiring Icons'. The government has claimed this would inspire the students.
A recent circular has allowed the individuals and student union representatives to fund the installation of statues on campuses. The state has 219 government colleges, most of Which lack ths basic infrastructure including classrooms and teachers.
"It is required for every college to have a statue of a 'Mahapurush.' If you don't have any statue, then you are required to install the statue of 'Swami Vivekananda' to inspire students," reads the circular. The size of the statue will depend upon the space where the statue will be placed in the college. The circular also says that individuals/student unions are required to take the permission from the district collector and the college authorities.
Experts see it as an attempt by the BJP to hijack Vivekananda as its sole entity. The Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government has named the model schools in every Gram Panchayat after Swami Vivekananda. Many of these schools have statues of Vivekananda installed by the donors. The number of Vivekananda pictures on the cover pages of revised government school textbooks has surpassed Mahatma Gandhi in another example of BJP's attempt to hijack Vivekananda.
Vice principal of Maharani's College, Rashmi Jain, feels that every national icon carries a value system which needs to be disseminated. "The statue culture in India has been restricted to celebrate death and birth anniversaries. I wish to see a Centre for excellence named after such personalities who can motivate students in all spheres of life," said Jain.
A government college teacher in Jaipur argues that circular reflects the education department's misdirected priorities. "Rajasthan has among the lowest gross enrollment ration in the country. The conversion rate from class XII to College is less than 60%. The focus should be on revising the decades' old curricula and make it job oriented," said the teacher. He also objected that allowing citizens for funding statues will increase the interference of outsiders in the colleges.
Defending the move, state higher education department OSD Kamal Mishra said, "The intention of this move is to spread the value system among our youngsters. Vivekananda is synonymous with youth and his philosophy has driven several reformatory movements. He is the real icon for youths."
A recent circular has allowed the individuals and student union representatives to fund the installation of statues on campuses. The state has 219 government colleges, most of Which lack ths basic infrastructure including classrooms and teachers.
"It is required for every college to have a statue of a 'Mahapurush.' If you don't have any statue, then you are required to install the statue of 'Swami Vivekananda' to inspire students," reads the circular. The size of the statue will depend upon the space where the statue will be placed in the college. The circular also says that individuals/student unions are required to take the permission from the district collector and the college authorities.
Experts see it as an attempt by the BJP to hijack Vivekananda as its sole entity. The Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government has named the model schools in every Gram Panchayat after Swami Vivekananda. Many of these schools have statues of Vivekananda installed by the donors. The number of Vivekananda pictures on the cover pages of revised government school textbooks has surpassed Mahatma Gandhi in another example of BJP's attempt to hijack Vivekananda.
Vice principal of Maharani's College, Rashmi Jain, feels that every national icon carries a value system which needs to be disseminated. "The statue culture in India has been restricted to celebrate death and birth anniversaries. I wish to see a Centre for excellence named after such personalities who can motivate students in all spheres of life," said Jain.
A government college teacher in Jaipur argues that circular reflects the education department's misdirected priorities. "Rajasthan has among the lowest gross enrollment ration in the country. The conversion rate from class XII to College is less than 60%. The focus should be on revising the decades' old curricula and make it job oriented," said the teacher. He also objected that allowing citizens for funding statues will increase the interference of outsiders in the colleges.
Defending the move, state higher education department OSD Kamal Mishra said, "The intention of this move is to spread the value system among our youngsters. Vivekananda is synonymous with youth and his philosophy has driven several reformatory movements. He is the real icon for youths."
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