Changes in School Curriculum

Yesterday, Delhi state government launched a ‘patriotic curriculum’ from nursery to class twelve to instill a sense of patriotism through simple activities like a patriotic diary, patriotic meditation, flag day, group discussion etc.

The patriotic stories will tell the importance of our freedom struggle to younger generations. The fact is that we now feel patriotism only on the Republic and Independence Days while unfurling or hoisting the tricolour or singing the national anthem.

Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Hindi, English, Social Studies etc are tought in schools, but not patriotism. This curriculum may help develop a patriotic environment.

Patriotism is within all of us but it needs a push, so that a patriotic doctor or an officer will not think of malpractices, but will think of the nation and contribute to the society.

This initiative of Delhi government should be appreciated and emulated by other state governments and the central government as well.

It’s also noteworthy that vocational education and skill development have been included in new education policy of the Government of India, but I feel here that the following important topics should also be added to the school curriculum:

1. Yoga and Meditation
Yoga and meditation help reduce and eliminate stress, improves memory and concentration and promotes inner peace and tranquility. This will improve the overall health and personality of students.

2. Financial Literacy
Basic knowledge of money matters like concepts of saving, investing and debt should be imparted to make children develop a sense of financial well-being and self-confidence.

3. Creativity
Creativity may help increase children’s ability to make, produce or innovate new things using their knowledge, skills and imagination. This will help them look at the issues in new ways to form ideas for improvement.

4. Emotional Intelligence
EQ is as important as IQ. Emotional and mental fitness are the prerequisites for avoiding and relieving stress. It’s important to know how to deal in positive ways with emotions like anger, jealousy, failure, love, first crush etc that a teenager normally avoids to discuss with parents or siblings.

5. Community Service
As the integral parts of our society, it’s our moral responsibilities to have concerns about others in the community, society and nation. It’s important to give back and assist others to make the community a better place to live in.

There are a few private schools that have introduced some of the above topics, but in a peripheral manner with no incentive for students to learn them. There is a need to make such topics as integral parts of curriculum either as a separate subject or as parts of social studies.

It’s easy for me to suggest such a course of action, but I know a lot of thinking, efforts and willpower will have to put in for effecting or accepting such changes.

But I strongly feel that cracking examinations and getting a job should not be the sole aim of students. Their overall personality should be molded to make it well-rounded one, so that they may contribute their mite to society and nation in a positive way.

–Kaushal Kishore

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