Essay – Is public prayer okay in schools?
Is public prayer okay in schools? Essay: Education is a fundamental right as the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) of 2009 encoded in Part 21 A of the Indian Constitution guarantees it to children up to age fourteen. As such children hailing from diverse religions, castes, creeds, races or social backgrounds are allowed to avail education without any form of discrimination or violation of their religious beliefs and faith. Prayers in schools, both public and private are often religious such as the Gayatri Mantra or the Christian prayers.
Discussion
India is a secular nation that shelters various religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. Irrespective of which religion a student follows she has the right of allegiance to the particular faith and is protected against forcible chanting of mantras or prayers of any other religion by constitutional rights. Article 28A of the Indian Constitution prohibits any state-aided educational institutions to instruct students to chant prayers of any particular religion.
Public prayers such as ‘Where the Mind is without fear’ composed by Rabindranath Tagore are of secular nature as it does not invoke any god or deity of a specific religion. In contradiction, state-funded schools in India such as Kendriya Vidyalaya were established with the objective of imparting centralized education devoid of discrimination in any form. However, following the petition filed by Advocate Vinayak Shah to discontinue the chanting of Sanskrit slokas and Hindi prayers, a controversial debate regarding the chanting of prayers has been sparked.
Proponents of banning public prayers in schools are of the opinion that religion is an issue of personal faith and belief and the constitution grants each and every citizen to practise their beliefs. However, the constitution also grants the right of not following the instructions of schools to pray to any deity and follow atheism such as the followers of the Charvak school of thought. In addition, the proponents of banning school prayers also point out Article 51(A)(h) of the Indian constitution which instructs state-run schools to impart an education that promotes scientific temper, humanism and the willingness to inquiry and reform.
The opponents of banning school prayers have contradicted that Sanskrit slokas such as ‘Satyameva Hayate’s do not invoke any religious deity but rather the virtue of ‘Truth shall be Victorious’ in Sanskrit. In addition slokas such as ‘Yato Dharma Tato Jaya’ which means “where there is a dharma, there is victory” is written in the Supreme Court of India. Thus chanting of slokas has nothing to do with forcing an individual to follow a religious tradition.
Conclusion
To conclude, the Indian constitution has prohibited the practice of prayers in public schools for it is contradictory to the principles of democracy. However, slokas like Satyameva Jayate does not have any religious connotation and hence do not infringe on anyone’s religious faith Schools in India have since then discontinued prayers pertaining to any specific religion.
FAQs
Q1. Which fundamental right allows individuals to avail of education?
Ans: Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) of 2009 encoded in Part 21 A of the Indian Constitution guarantees it to children up to age fourteen.
Q2. Which article prohibits schools from instructing students to pray?
Ans: Article 28A of the Indian Constitution prohibits any state-aided educational institutions to instruct students to chant prayers of any particular religion.
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