West Bengal Schools to Include Vande Mataram in Morning Assemblies

PTI, May 14, 2026, Kolkata : The West Bengal government has directed all state-run and aided schools to mandatorily include the singing of Vande Mataram during morning assemblies with immediate effect, according to an official communication issued by the School Education Department.

The directive states that every student must participate in singing the national song at the start of the school day. Heads of institutions have been instructed to ensure strict compliance.

“From next Monday, Vande Mataram will be introduced as the prayer song in all schools across the state. I will go to Nabanna today and inform them,” West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told reporters at the Assembly.

“The singing of Vande Mataram during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes should be made mandatory so that Vande Mataram should be sung by all students in all schools in the state with immediate effect,” the Director of Education specified in a communication to state-run and state-aided school heads on May 13, 2026.

The move comes shortly after the Union government initiated steps to strengthen provisions related to respect for national symbols, including a proposed amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, making obstruction to the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offence.

A School Education Department official indicated on Thursday that the song is to be performed at the beginning of the assembly session. School authorities have also been asked to document the proceedings, including video recordings, as proof of implementation, he said.

Earlier, schools in the state traditionally sang only the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore. In recent years, the previous TMC government had introduced ‘Banglar Mati Banglar Jol’, also penned by Tagore in 1905 during protests against the partition of Bengal, as the state song.