MUMBAI, January 25: This year schools across the city cannot take celebrating Republic and Independence days lightly. The education department has issued a circular asking the schools to observe the commemoration days strictly on January 26 and August 15.The yearly circular this time means business. Following reports of some schools combining the celebration of the historically important day on the previous working day and opting to take the next day off, the department plans to pay surprise visit to the schools.
Meanwhile, the poor awareness about India's history was much evident among a group of Std. IX students participating in a leadership training programme at Sir J J Fort Girl's High School on Saturday. When queried by this reporter about freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose one student replied, ``He ran away from the country when other leaders were fighting the British.'' Another had a definite opinion on Gandhi's contribution to the evolution of `Ahimsa' - ``How can he take credit about Ahimsa?
I am Christian. Ahimsa principles are there in our Bible from which he has taken his cue.'' Commenting on the poor sense of history veteran educationist Arvind Trivedi felt, ``History textbooks need to be national in character rather than the prevailing regional bias in the syllabus.''
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
