No action even if Yoga Day in schools not on Sunday: Tawde

Clearing the air over his order to keep schools open on June 21 — a Sunday — to celebrate Yoga Day, Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde told the Hindustan Times on Wednesday that while the state government expected majority of schools, colleges and higher educational institutes to hold functions on that day, he had never termed it ‘mandatory’ or compulsory’.

Clearing the air over his order to keep schools open on June 21 — a Sunday — to celebrate Yoga Day, Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde told the Hindustan Times on Wednesday that while the state government expected majority of schools, colleges and higher educational institutes to hold functions on that day, he had never termed it ‘mandatory’ or compulsory’.

“I would like all schools and colleges to celebrate Yoga Day on June 21 as the world celebrates it on that day. The decision that this day would be celebrated as Yoga Day was taken nearly 6 months ago by the Centre and we have even offered a compensatory off to teachers for this. The decision has neither been ad hoc nor has it been suddenly thrust on schools,” said Tawde.

The education minister, however, said, “No action has been proposed, or will be taken, if some schools or colleges decide not to celebrate it for some particular reason.”