Use national and festival days for learning, not holidays: Child Rights Commission

The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has recommended that educational institutions stop granting holidays on certain observance days and instead utilise those occasions for learning activities and awareness programmes.

The recommendation came in an order issued by a Full Bench of the Commission led by Chairperson K V Manoj Kumar, along with members K K Shaju and Dr F Wilson. The panel suggested that holidays traditionally declared on occasions such as Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti and Republic Day should be discontinued and converted into meaningful educational days for students.

According to the Commission, schools should use Independence Day to familiarise students with India’s freedom struggle and the sacrifices made by those who fought for independence. Similarly, programmes explaining the country’s constitutional values should be organised on Constitution Day and Republic Day.

Activities that promote environmental protection and cleanliness should be conducted in schools on Gandhi Jayanti. The Commission conveyed these directions to the General Education Secretary, the Director of General Education and the Women and Child Development Secretary.

The Commission further suggested that celebrations of festivals such as Onam, Christmas and Eid should include programmes that instil values of cooperation, mutual respect, unity, integrity and equality among students. Schools were also advised to highlight the message of Onam as a symbol of a society where justice, equality and protection are ensured for everyone.

On occasions such as the Jayanti and Samadhi Day of Sree Narayana Guru, institutions should arrange awareness sessions and discussions led by students that reflect the ideas of Guru and other social reformers. The Commission also recommended marking the birth anniversary of Ayyankali as Education Rights Day in schools.

The Commission observed that celebration programmes organised in government, aided, unaided and special schools often fail to ensure equal participation of all students. It pointed out that although these programmes are meant for children, they are rarely given the opportunity to organise or lead such events.

The directive followed a complaint submitted by teacher and social worker L Sugathan, who sought the Commission’s intervention to ensure inclusive school-level observance programmes with the participation and representation of every student.

Additionally, the Commission recommended that the Kerala State Legal Services Authority conduct awareness sessions in schools on issues including road safety, cyber laws, consumer protection laws and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

The Commission also highlighted the importance of promoting scientific temper among children rather than encouraging superstitions or regressive customs. It proposed that a bilingual edition of the Constitution of India be made available in all school libraries across Kerala so that students can read and refer to it easily.

Moreover, it suggested preparing a long-term action plan to ensure that observances such as Reading Day and Environment Day evolve into sustained practices in students’ lives instead of being limited to a single day of activities. The State government has been directed to submit an action taken report within 60 days.