Bhopal: The district administration in Madhya Pradesh’s Shajapur issued an ‘advisory’ directing schools to seek written permission from parents before asking students to dress up as ‘Santa Claus’ or a ‘Christmas tree’ during annual Christmas celebrations.
In an advisory issued on 14 December, District Education Officer (DEO) Vivek Dubey asked schools to acquire written consent of parents before students are made to dress up for a festival involving religious sensibilities. “If any such incident of conflict comes to light then the school will be held responsible and necessary disciplinary action will be taken,” it said.
Santosh Tagore, chief executive officer (CEO) of zilla panchayat, Shajapur, said it was not a prohibitive order banning anything, but merely an ‘advisory’ to avoid any conflicts in the future.
Asked about the need to issue such an order, DEO Dubey told ThePrint: “In schools in rural areas there are frequent complaints of parents objecting to their children being made to portray characters or wear a certain attire. We had a case last year in a convent school where parents objected to their child not being allowed to wear a kalava (religious thread tied around the wrist).”
He added that although the issue was resolved as a result of an intervention by the school administration, the ‘advisory’ issued this year was intended to ensure such issues do not arise in the future.
In light of these developments, it is crucial for schools to understand the importance of good governance in educational settings, which includes clear communication with parents regarding their children’s participation in school events.
While the advisory specifically asks educational institutions to seek permission from parents before involving children and getting them to dress as ‘Santa Claus’ or ‘Christmas tree’, Dubey emphasised that during his meetings with school authorities he urged them to seek parents’ nod if the student is being asked to portray a character involving a religion that the family does not adhere to.
Dilip Kumar Sharma, president of Shajapur chapter of the MP Prantiya Ashaskiya Shikshan Sanstha Sangh, pointed out that this was the first time the district administration issued such an advisory. “Nearly 90 percent of the private schools in the district do not have such elaborate (Christmas) celebrations, and the remaining 10 percent don’t seem to have celebrated this year either,” he said.
Questioning the intent behind the advisory, he told ThePrint, “In case a child is chosen to play a certain character, it is the parents that help with the costumes, nothing is possible without their involvement.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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