Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Thursday announced in the state assembly that the Bhagavad Gita will be a part of the school syllabus for Classes 6 to 12 across the state starting academic year 2022-23.
Education Minister Jitu Vaghani made the announcement in the legislative Assembly during a discussion on budgetary allocations for the education department.
The decision to introduce the values and principles enshrined in the Bhagavad Gita in school curriculum was in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP) unveiled by the Centre, which advocates the introduction of modern and ancient culture, traditions and knowledge systems so that students feel proud of India's rich and diverse culture, the minister said.
Speaking to reporters later, Vaghani said people from all faiths have accepted the moral values and principles outlined in the ancient Hindu scripture. "Hence, we have decided to introduce the Bhagavad Gita in the school curriculum for Classes 6 to 12. For students of Classes 6 to 8, the scripture will be introduced in the textbook of 'Sarvangi Shikshan' (holistic education). From Classes 9 to 12, it will be introduced in the form of storytelling in the textbook of the first language," he said. Schools will also organize activities based on the scripture such as prayers, shloka recitation, comprehension, drama, quiz, painting, and elocution competitions, he said.
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Study material such as books and audio-video CDs will be provided to schools by the government, the minister added. The state government, also on Thursday, said that in the upcoming year, English will be introduced from Class 1 to ensure that students of Gujarati and other non-English medium schools become more conversant in the language and don't face problems in the future. Currently, basic English is introduced from Class 4 in Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Urdu and Tamil medium schools affiliated to the state Education Department.
"We have decided to introduce English from Class 1 in all schools, except English medium ones. Students of Classes 1 and 2 will be given basic knowledge of the language. We want students to get familiarised with the subject and develop listening and speaking skills," state Education Minister Jitu Vaghani said in the Assembly.
There won't be any textbooks. Only teachers will get guidance material, he said. Speaking to reporters after the House proceedings, Vaghani said the decision to familiarise students with basic English from the beginning is in line with the suggestions made in the new National Education Policy, which stresses on making students aware of more than one language.
The minister stressed that English is being introduced in schools as a subject, not as a medium of instruction. "From Class 3, we will introduce English as a full-fledged subject in all non-English medium schools. The focus will be on listening, speaking and writing aspects. We are doing this so that students start learning the language at an early stage and don't face problems in the future," he said.
PTI
