Indian schools in the Kingdom which are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are set to follow the Teachers’ Day event on Friday and have students listen to a recorded address of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The annual Teachers’ Day commemorated by Indian students and teachers at home and abroad has undergone a drastic change this year with the day now being named ‘Gurustav’ (celebration for teachers) which the Indian opposition parties are describing as a gimmick and evidence of right-wing Hindutva politics.

All CBSE schools in India and overseas have been instructed to make arrangements for children to watch Modi’s address on Gurustav.

“According to the directives of the CBSE the Indian International School in Jeddah is making arrangements for children to be able to listen to a recorded message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There will also be an essay writing competition for students to write about their favorite teacher,” Syed Masud Ahmed, principal of the Indian International School in Jeddah told Arab News on Wednesday.

He added that since Friday is a holiday in the Kingdom, the school is recording the Premier’s speech for students to hear it later.

He said that the school will also be conducting a self-governance day on Saturday as part of the Gurustav in which distinguished and outstanding teachers will be felicitated by the school authorities.

He expressed hopes that the prime minister’s speech would be motivational for students in terms of promoting the national spirit.

The Indian International Schools in Dammam and Riyadh are also making arrangements to commemorate the Gurustav day, sources said.

All Indian schools in the Kingdom are affiliated to the New Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and follow its curriculum.

The CBSE has also sent a form to be circulated throughout the schools which has to be filled out by all the students from the first grade upwards and returned and school managements have been instructed to keep the students in school for the program.

In remote areas where TV, satellite (edusat) or Internet facilities are unavailable, school authorities have to ensure that children hear the speech over the radio. Schools in these locations have been instructed to ensure uninterrupted power supply for the two-hour program by arranging for generators/inverters as a back up, according to reports.