AGARTALA, September 5 (TIWN): As the nation watches the prime minister addressing students on the occasion of 53rd Teachers’ Day 2014, with eyes glued to the television sets for a change, the students faced a new challenge ahead.Schools have been clearly directed by the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry to ensure the presence of classes VI to XII from 3 pm to 4.45 pm on their premises to hear a speech by the prime minister, to be telecast on Doordarshan and educational channels, as well as webcast through YouTube.Like other parts of the country, 31 government schools along with 8 private institutions, 6 Kendriya Vidyalayas and 4 Jawahar Navoday Vidyalaya schools have been enlisted in Tripura to telecast the prime ministers address live in the state.

As a public school in New Delhi, following the diktat, has already informed the guardians and students in a notification, that excerpts from the speech would be part of the questionnaires in the upcoming school examinations, students from other parts of the country are left baffled with the question, whether the same fate awaits them too??The orders have thickened the political air in the country, as controversies regarding attendance swiftly breezed in.

Out of the 31 government schools, 14 are project schools, 7 edu-sat schools and 8 ICT schools. The interactive session could not be organized at the Edu-Sat schools as they lacked proper equipment and maintenance, informed a high ranked official from the Education Directory of Tripura.

Though no special orders were circulated regarding mandatory attendance, the students were thoroughly informed to attend the program.