Haryana schools have been directed to replace the traditional greeting of “good morning” with “Jai Hind” starting from this Independence Day, according to a government circular issued on Thursday. “To instil a deep sense of patriotism and national pride among students, a decision has been taken to replace 'good morning' with 'Jai Hind' so that students are inspired every day with the spirit of national unity and respect for the rich history of our country,” read the circular issued by the Directorate of School Education. The circular has been distributed to all district education officers, district elementary education officers, block education officers, block elementary education officers, principals, and headmasters across the state. Haryana has 14,300 government schools, enrolling 23.10 lakh students. Officials estimate that nearly 7,000 private schools in the state have a similar number of students as government schools. The circular notes that 'Jai Hind' was coined by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose during India’s freedom struggle and was later adopted by the armed forces as a salute after Independence. The directive emphasises that this “patriotic greeting” will encourage students to appreciate the sacrifices made for the country’s freedom. The circular highlights that 'Jai Hind' transcends regional, linguistic, and cultural differences, promoting unity among students from diverse backgrounds. “Its regular use will inculcate a sense of discipline and uniformity among students. Incorporating traditional greetings into the daily routine promotes cultural heritage and respect for national traditions,” the circular states. “This greeting is both inspirational and motivational, reminding students of their potential to contribute to the nation’s progress. 'Jai Hind' serves as a source of inspiration for young Indians, encouraging them to contribute positively to India’s development.” The circular calls for widespread publicity and implementation of the directive before the flag-hoisting ceremony at school-level Independence Day functions. However, an official from the education department told The Indian Express, “This is just an advisory, similar to suggestions for daily yoga and quiz sessions in schools. There are no provisions for punishment if the advisory is not followed. No new rules or laws have been introduced.” Kulbhushan Sharma, president of the Federation of Private Schools Association, suggests that both greetings—“good morning” and “Jai Hind”—could continue to be used in schools. “Both are not contradictory. Jai Hind has a special objective in our lives aimed at promoting patriotism. It can be used by students at the beginning of classes,” Sharma stated. Anil Kaushik, president of the Progressive Private Schools Association, welcomed the initiative, stating that it would promote patriotism. However, he added, “Its implementation depends on the teachers and parents as ‘charity begins at home’.” Prabhu Singh, general secretary of the Haryana Vidyalaya Adhyapak Sangh (a body of government school teachers), noted, “It’s difficult to change students’ greeting habits overnight. Initially, students used to greet with ‘namaste’. It took years to shift from ‘namaste’ to ‘good morning’. Students easily adopt practices that are close to their tradition or have strong logic behind them.” He also remarked, “The pressing need is to fill nearly 40,000 vacant teaching posts, recruit sanitation workers for schools, and improve infrastructure in government schools. Government school teachers are already overburdened with non-teaching assignments such as election and adult education-related duties.”
