School children were forced to take part in political rally

Schools officially off rally feeder line

OUR LEGAL REPORTER 19.11.11

Calcutta, Nov. 18: The Mamata Banerjee government has formally removed the school network from the political conveyor belt during working hours. A gazette notification has banned schoolchildren from political activities and teachers from using school premises for political purposes during class hours. But the notification does not address the larger moral question of why the pupils are not being protected after school hours. The notification comes a couple of months after children from a government-run south Calcutta school were forced to become rally cattle — a malaise highlighted by The Telegraph. The notification issued by school education secretary Vikram Sen said: “No student of any government school or government-aided or unaided school shall take part in any political activity or join any political rally within or outside the school premises during school hours. No (school) premises… shall be used for any political purpose within school hours. “No teacher… shall take part in or promote directly or indirectly any political activity within school premises during school hours.” The notification was placed before a high court division bench headed by Chief Justice J.N. Patel. The document underscored the need to make educational institutions “free of political influence”. The order puts the onus of ensuring compliance on the managing committees of schools. The penalty on offenders is not specified. Government pleader Ashok Banerjee said the school education department would take action or direct managements to do so.