Schools and madrasas across West Bengal reopened on Monday after the summer vacation with a new directive from the state education department. According to the order, students must now sing 'Vande Mataram' along with the national anthem during the daily morning assembly. The directive specifies that the full version of 'Vande Mataram', which takes about three minutes and ten seconds to sing, must be performed, prompting schools to adjust their morning schedules accordingly.

Teachers reported that many students have not yet memorized the entire song, so schools are temporarily playing it on mobile devices to help them learn. Once students are familiar with the lyrics, the playback will stop, and they will sing it independently. Madrasas have also begun implementing the order in compliance with the government directive.

Some madrasa head teachers expressed that singing the first two lines poses no issue, but questions remain about the necessity of performing the full song. Despite these concerns, they confirmed that they will follow the official instructions for now.