Managua  - Students at all public and private schools in Nicaragua will be required to sing the national anthem every day, according to a decree issued Monday by the Central American country's leftist Sandinista government.

The decree was set to come into force Tuesday across the country and would be strictly monitored, Education Minister Miguel de Castilla said at a press conference.

The minister explained that in recent years Nicaraguan youth have lost respect for "symbols" of the homeland, and the move was aimed at "recovering traditions."

The national anthem will have to be sung daily before lessons start in all classes at pre-school, primary education and secondary education centres, De Castilla said.

He warned that authorities would punish students and teachers who do not abide by the new rule. (dpa)