Chhattisgarh’s new school prayer schedule has triggered a sharp political confrontation after the state’s School Education Department directed government schools to include Vedic mantras and devotional recitations in the daily routine from June 16.
The order, issued ahead of the 2026-27 academic session, places the Gayatri Mantra, Saraswati Vandana, Guru Mantra, Deep Mantra and Shanti Mantra alongside the National Anthem, Vande Mataram, the state song and readings on prominent public figures. A Bhojan Mantra is to be recited before the mid-day meal, while the school day will end with the state song, Gayatri Mantra and Shanti Mantra.
District education officers have been asked to ensure implementation across government schools, making the directive part of the formal school-day structure rather than an optional cultural activity. The department has framed the change as an effort to promote discipline, moral values, patriotism, cultural awareness and character-building among students.
The Congress has accused the Vishnu Deo Sai government of using the classroom to advance a sectarian political project. Party leaders argue that government schools serve children from multiple faiths and social backgrounds, and that mandatory recitation of prayers associated with one tradition risks undermining the secular character of public education.
Sushil Anand Shukla, chairman of the Congress media cell, said the directive runs against the constitutional spirit of government-funded schools. He warned that followers of other faiths could now ask for their own religious texts or prayers to be included in the daily routine, widening divisions inside classrooms meant to remain inclusive.
The BJP has rejected the charge, saying the opposition is politicising a cultural and educational measure. School Education Minister Gajendra Yadav has defended the schedule as part of a broader push to strengthen moral education and reconnect students with civilisational values. BJP spokesperson Amit Chimnani has argued that the Gayatri Mantra carries a universal message of wisdom and should not be treated as a partisan issue.
The dispute comes at a sensitive point in Chhattisgarh’s academic calendar. Schools reopened on June 16 after the summer break, with the first day marked as Shala Pravesh Utsav, an admission festival intended to welcome newly enrolled children. The government has also directed schools to complete cleaning and repair work, distribute textbooks, uniforms and bicycles to eligible students, track dropouts and ensure full attendance of teachers and pupils.
Officials have linked the broader school-opening plan to the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasises holistic education, values, local context and cultural grounding. Critics, however, say the policy cannot be read as a licence to make religiously identified recitations compulsory in government-funded institutions.
The constitutional debate is likely to centre on the distinction between cultural education and religious instruction. Article 28 of the Constitution of India bars religious instruction in educational institutions wholly maintained out of state funds, though past judicial interpretation has recognised a distinction between teaching about religion and imparting religious instruction. That distinction may become central if the Chhattisgarh order is challenged legally.
The row also reflects a wider national argument over curriculum, identity and public education. BJP-led administrations in several states have promoted Sanskrit, yoga, epics, traditional knowledge systems and civilisational themes in schools, presenting them as cultural recovery and value education. Opposition parties and civil society groups have often described such measures as ideological consolidation, particularly when they are introduced through compulsory routines rather than elective modules.
For parents and teachers, the immediate question is how the directive will be implemented in mixed classrooms. The order does not clearly state whether students may opt out on grounds of conscience or whether schools must provide alternatives. That silence has sharpened concerns among minority groups and education activists, who say the absence of consent safeguards could create pressure on children who do not share the religious background of the recitations.
