The Rajasthan government on Friday rolled back a campaign to give school students “more meaningful” names after it faced opposition from parents and social activists, The Hindu reported.
The campaign, titled “Sarthak Naam Abhiyan”, was launched by the state education department on April 13 with the objective of suggesting meaningful names for students whose names had “embarrassing” or derogatory connotations.
Such names could lead to low self-esteem among students, the education department said.
It released a list of of 2,950 alternative names for boys and girls to be shared with parents, The Times of India reported.
However, several names on the list were repetitive and incorrect. It also contained entries such as Bhiksha (alms), Bhayankar (terrifying), Kalyugi (age of darkness), Lajja (shame) and Makkhi (fly).
The move led to a controversy, with parents, teachers and experts describing it as an “interference” with personal matters, The Hindu reported. Critics also noted that that the campaign could demean certain identities instead of empowering the students.
Noting inconsistencies, gender mix-ups, incorrect classifications and the duplication of names with minor variations, experts criticised the order as an attempt to “impose a cultural framework” on Dalit, trial and other backward communities, according to the newspaper.
Sanyukt Abhibhavak Sangh, an association for parents, also said that the campaign was a way of diverting attention from pressing issues, The Times of India reported.
“The state is grappling with increasing dropouts, shortage of teachers in schools and arbitrary behaviour of private schools, but the department is focused on suggesting names,” the newspaper quoted Abhishek Jain, a spokesperson for the association, as saying.
In light of the controversy, unidentified officials from the education department earlier clarified that the list of names was only a draft, adding that a revised list would be issued shortly, The Hindu reported.
It added that the names of students from Class 1 to 9 were to be updated in the school records on a voluntary basis and with the consent of their parents.
However, state Education Minister Madan Dilawar on Friday announced that the campaign would be withdrawn for “unavoidable reasons”, The Hindu reported. “No action will be taken pursuant to the directive,” he said.
Earlier, the Opposition Congress also criticised the April 13 order and asked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state to focus on the dilapidated condition of government school buildings that need repair.
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