Maharashtra Govt Makes Republic Day ‘Nation First’ Drill Mandatory In All Schools
Maharashtra Govt Makes Republic Day ‘Nation First’ Drill Mandatory In All Schools
Pune, January 23, 2026: Maharashtra education commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh on Thursday announced a new initiative to boost patriotic participation among students on Republic Day. Under the theme ‘Nation First’, all schools across the state will conduct a mass patriotic song recitation on January 26. Officials estimate that more than two crore students from over one lakh schools, along with seven lakh teachers, will take part.
Singh stated that many schools treat Republic Day as a holiday, resulting in low participation in national celebrations. “This year, no school will remain closed and every student must attend. The goal is to cultivate patriotism, discipline, and health awareness. Through this joint drill, we want students to experience unity, self-discipline, physical fitness, and pride in the nation,” he said.
The patriotic drill will take place immediately after the traditional flag-hoisting ceremony and is expected to last 15–20 minutes.
Meanwhile, Trigun Kulkarni, chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, spoke about the ongoing copy-free exam campaign. The campaign involves awareness drives for students, parents, and teachers through pledges, counselling sessions, parent-student interactions, and extensive use of social media. The aim is to encourage academic integrity, ethics, and seriousness during examinations.
The campaign is supervised by a Vigilance Committee headed by the education commissioner, and includes board officials, police representatives, and district administration. Additional district-level vigilance teams and flying squads are also monitoring exam centres to prevent cheating and malpractice.
Kulkarni warned that strict action would continue against institutions involved in irregularities. “Any exam centre found encouraging malpractice will immediately lose its approval. Last year, approvals of 107 centres were cancelled due to violations,” he noted.
