No More Sheru, Shaitan And Kalu? Rajasthan Government Launches Sarthak Naam Abhiyan To Replace Derogatory Student Names With Meaningful Alternatives Across Schools

Sarthak Naam Abhiyan: The use of strange or even derogatory names like Sheru, Shaitan and others that have become a common feature of school registers in Rajasthan may shortly become a thing of the past with the state government introducing the so-called Sarthak Naam Abhiyan, which is focused on promoting the use of more significant and respectable names to students. This program, implemented by the School Education Department, aims at solving the problem that children with clumsy or inappropriate names tend to be mocked at, and this is likely to negatively impact their confidence and self-esteem when they become older.

Rajasthan Government Launches New Initiative

According to an article by school education minister Madan Dilawar, published in news agency PTI on Tuesday, such names can be a source of humiliation of the children and may have an irreversible effect on their self-esteem.

The minister observed that in most instances, names are given without proper consideration of their social or emotional impact in the long run. Parents sometimes name their children without knowing what they mean or because of social pressure; the names may lead to inferiority as the children grow up, he said.

The education department has come up with a list of close to 3,000 alternative names, 1,409 to be used by boys and 1,541 by girls. The meaning is given along with each name and the astrological context in most instances.

This list will be distributed to parents to enable them select names that have good connotations and that have cultural significance.

What Do You Need To Know About Sarthak Naam Abhiyan?

The department has found some 2,000 to 3,000 students in government and private schools whose names are deemed inappropriate or even harmful as part of the Sarthak Naam Abhiyan campaign. It has prepared a curated list of almost 3,000 alternative names that is comprehensive with meanings to help parents choose the most appropriate replacement. There are 1,541 girl names to 1,409 boy names, officials said.

According to the officials, the department feels that the name of a person is a representation of his or her social identity and values, and a negative or poor name can have a detrimental effect on the mental development of a child and his or her self-confidence.

Rajasthan Education Department Rolls Out 3,000-Name List

Schools have been instructed on how to sensitively identify the students with such names and talk to their parents on parent-teacher meetings and School Management Committees to persuade them to use positive names. The minister also emphasized the necessity to remove the terms of caste distinctions or derogatory terms in the official records.

The words that were once used in a derogatory form should not be documented, instead, respectful alternatives should be embraced, he said.

Parents of new students will be allowed to choose the names in the list of proposed ones during admission, and current students will be allowed to request the name change according to the established regulations, according to the officials. They will also have senior officials who will oversee the process of the campaign and periodically review its progress, they added.

The government wants to get rid of caste-linked and outdated, offensive terms from school records. “We need to use more respectful alternatives,” Dilawar explained. Names matter, they help shape how kids see themselves and how others see them.

Top officials will oversee the campaign. This isn’t just a paperwork change; it’s about helping students feel respected and confident at school.

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