On the eve of the 75th Independence Day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal gave his nod for the roll-out of the ‘Deshbhakti Curriculum’, which he said would instil patriotism in young minds.
The focus of the curriculum is to impart values, competencies and behaviours to students so they are equipped to “participate effectively in a culture of democracy”, the government stated. The framework has three primary goals: instilling a feeling of pride for the country, building awareness of responsibilities towards the country; and commitment to make a sacrifice for the country.
Mr. Kejriwal was presented with a copy of the curriculum framework on Saturday. “We kept on teaching physics, chemistry and maths for 70 years, no one thought of teaching children Deshbhakti. I am delighted that the Deshbhakti Curriculum will be launched in schools of Delhi to instil patriotism in young minds,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
The Deshbhakti Curriculum Committee submitted the framework after detailed deliberations and extensive consultation over the last two years with teachers, students, parents, educators, and civil society organisations, following which it was approved by the governing council of the State Council of Educational Research and Training on August 6. The curriculum also “aims to develop a deep sense of respect towards constitutional values and seeks to bridge the gap between values and action”. It follows the guidelines of the National Curriculum Framework 2005, and focuses on child-centric and critical pedagogies, and ideas of National Curriculum Framework 2020.
“The framework acknowledges that while students learn various aspects of Indian democracy and Constitution as part of their existing curricula, these are currently limited to being academic subjects to be learnt and tested in exams,” the government stated, adding, “There is very little scope to relate values such as equality and fraternity to their daily lives. The Deshbhakti Curriculum seeks to build a deeper understanding of these values and make it part of children’s behaviour.”
The curriculum will have three overarching themes: knowledge of constitutional values, plurality and diversity, freedom struggle, achievements, social problems; values of honesty, integrity, humility, empathy, love and respect for country, compassion, sacrifice and behaviour; scientific reasoning and mindset, civic responsibility, and standing up against injustice.
The implementation methodology will be child-centric via a five-stage process: discussion in class initiated by the teacher; classroom discussion among students facilitated by teacher; classroom activities usually as group work; homework to engage with the family; and community and self-reflection.
“Evaluation shall be through self-assessment, peer assessment, and assessment by the teacher. Emphasis will be on observing and assessing the development of the values, behaviours and actions of Deshbhakti among students on an ongoing basis,” the government stated.
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