‘Johnny-Johnny, Yes Papa Encourages Lies’: UP Minister Says English Rhymes Against Indian Values

Uttar Pradesh higher education minister Yogendra Upadhyaya on May 6 (Wednesday) criticised the English nursery rhyme Johnny Johnny Yes Papa, saying it does not reflect Indian values and teaches children to lie to their parents.

The remarks were made during an event for shiksha mitras, or para teachers and contractual educators, at Merchant Chamber Hall in Kanpur, India Today reported.

Speaking at the programme, Upadhyaya said teachers should work towards creating an education system that combines academic learning with values. Referring to India’s guru-shishya tradition, he said teachers can guide students only by taking on the role of gurus and moving beyond textbook-based instruction.

The minister also spoke about differences between Western and Eastern value systems. He said lines such as “Eating sugar, no papa” from the rhyme encourage children to lie. In contrast, he said Hindi poems familiar to older generations carried lessons connected to life values.

At the event, Upadhyaya honoured 12 shiksha mitras and distributed demo cheques to mark the increase in their honorarium. He said the state government had raised the amount from Rs 10,000 to Rs 18,000. The minister said that the increased amount would help improve the standard of living of shiksha mitras, especially those working in rural and remote areas, the report said.

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