The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked all schools affiliated to it to make sure that there is no insult to the “national honour” and also to ensure that the National Flag code is enforced strictly.
In a circular issued on March 16, the board said: “The schools affiliated to CBSE are hereby directed to ensure strict compliance of provisions contained in the Flag Code of India, 2002 and The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.”
The board wants that if the Tricolouris to be hoisted at schools or any educational institution, the school shall assemble in an open-square formation with pupils forming three sides and the flag-staff at the centre of the fourth side, which is also the norm as prescribed in the flag code. The salutation to the flag has to be followed by singing of the national anthem.
According to the Flag Code of India, the Tricolouris supposed to be made of hand-woven wool, cotton, khadi or silk in the appropriate size prescribed in the code, and will not be used for any commercial purposes.
The schools have also been asked to use paper flags for any cultural or sports events rather than plastic ones, and ensure these are not discarded on the ground after the event is over.
According to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, whoever in any public place or in any other place within public view burns, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or shows disrespect to the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India is liable to be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with a fine, or with both.
The current government has, in the past, also issued similar diktats for educational institutions. After the sedition case in Jawaharlal Nehru University in the month of February last year, the central government had directed all colleges and institutions of higher education to host the National Flag in their premises. While most of the colleges already had a flag in their premises, the ones that did not hoisted one.
