Shajapur (Madhya Pradesh): With the Christmas festival around the corner, to avoid any controversy, the education department of Shajapur issued orders to all the private schools in the district to get parental consent before dressing their children as Santa Claus or involving them in any Santa Claus-related activities during the school's Christmas celebration, knowing that the holiday would soon bring about any controversy.
The orders, which were issued on December 14, were signed by the district education officer, Vivek Dubey. The letter stated that disciplinary action would be taken against the school if it forced or asked a child to participate in the programme by dressing up as Santa Claus without the parents' consent.
This order of the Education Department has been issued for all the private schools in the district. In this regard, the Education Department says that children are forced to wear special costumes to the event. Due to this, an unpleasant situation is created. Due to this, this letter has been issued.
When contacted, DEO Dubey said that the school needs to obtain permission from parents before involving their child in any Santa Claus-related activities during Christmas celebrations at the school.
This is important to ensure that parents are comfortable with their child's participation and that the school respects their wishes regarding such events.
“There are several times when parents complain that the school did not seek their permission or that the school is hurting their religious sentiments by involving their kids in such a celebration, and it subsequently creates controversy. To avoid this, we decided to issue such orders, as it's better to avoid controversy than an investigation after the celebration," Dubey said.
