Celebrate Nov 26 as Constitution Day: UGC to colleges and varsities

A circular in this regard was issued by UGC to colleges and varsities on September 23

After the CBSE board insisted on celebrating 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar across its schools, the University Grants Commission (UGC) released a circular along those lines last week.

The UGC circular encourages universities and colleges to hold seminars on the preamble of our Constitution, admissions to students under SC/ST category and celebrate November 26 as ‘Constitution Day’ every year.

The recommendations, states the circular, have been cleared by the prime minister, and colleges are expected to follow the same. “The purpose is to increase awareness about the Constitution amongst the citizens, especially children,” reads the circular issued on September 23.

Besides celebrating the Constitution Day, the circular also asks colleges to read the preamble of the Constitution to inform students about the same. The UGC has asked colleges and varsities to inform its authorities, via mail, about the various events organised on the said day.

Principal speak
“Students, irrespective of their subjects, do study the preamble. Through this exercise, everybody will get a chance to get back to their roots and understand how the constitution of our country was formed,” said Marie Fernandes, principal, St Andrew’s College, Bandra. She added her college would adhere to the circular.

Mystery deletion
In August, principals of CBSE schools had lauded the board’s effort of encouraging class XI and XII students to engage in mock parliamentary-style debates on topics of national importance.

The two topics that interested CBSE schools and students across the country were ‘need for a uniform civil code which is secular and non-sexist’ and ‘capital punishment is unjust and degrading’.

Though school authorities are still flummoxed by the removal of the topics from discussion, board officials stated that topics were modified ‘keeping in mind interest of the students’.

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