Ahmedabad: Schools in Gujarat, in a bid to instil nationalism in children, issued a notification on Monday which stated that students, from January 1, will respond to roll calls with 'Jai Hind' or 'Jai Bharat' instead of the current 'yes sir' and 'present sir' — putting the nation above the individual.

The Directorate of Primary Education and Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) notification said that the state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama took the decision in a review meeting held Monday. The district education officials will soon receive copies of the notification with all the instructions.

“When I was a student, it was compulsory for me and other students to confirm attendance by saying Jay Hind/ Jay Bharat. The practice was later discontinued. We have taken a decision to resume the practice from Tuesday onwards,” said Chudasama, reported Times of India.

According to the notification, the objective of this new change is to "foster patriotism among students right from childhood.” Students of class 1 to class 12 in government, grant-in-aid and self-financed schools will have to follow the new protocol from January 1.