Overview
- The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education on November 6 ordered all government and government-aided schools to sing Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal’ during morning assembly as the daily prayer song.
- Education Minister Bratya Basu said the directive had Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s approval and framed the practice, alongside the National Anthem, as a unifying measure.
- The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration notified on November 7 that schools in the hill region are exempt and will continue existing morning traditions, a position a WBBSE official confirmed.
- Schools began implementing the order on November 7, with many replacing earlier morning songs and singing the state song along with the National Anthem.
- The song was adopted as the state song by a 2023 Assembly resolution and a January 2024 order required it at official events; the new school mandate has drawn objections from BGPM leaders, a Darjeeling BJP MLA and some educators.