Independence Day 2021: Delhi government to implement Deshbhakti Curriculum in schools

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will implement a Deshbhakti Curriculum in its schools on the 74th anniversary of Independence to instil patriotism in young minds, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Saturday.

Kejriwal was presented a copy of the Deshbhakti Curriculum Framework to initiate its roll-out. "We kept on teaching Physics, Chemistry, 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,” he said.

The chief minister said that the Deshbhakti Curriculum will help realise the dreams of freedom fighters and the celebration of Independence Day will cease to be symbolic in schools but will now have a substantive meaning. He also said that the government is fully committed to celebrate the spirit of independence each day and has learnt a lot in the process of making the curriculum framework. "When we started working on the Deshbhakti Curriculum two years ago, we did not know how it would be and how it would happen. It is a dynamic and constantly evolving process. We have learnt a lot during its pilot and will continue to learn more with time. We also have to take care of the assessment intricately. While we keep our anecdotal experiences in mind we have to objectively assess if patriotic feelings are actually being instilled in the minds of our children," he added.

Kejriwal's Deshbhakti Curriculum

Kejriwal had announced the vision of the Deshbhakti Curriculum on the 73rd Independence Day celebrations in 2019. The Deshbhakti Curriculum Committee submitted the framework which was approved by the Governing Council of SCERT on August 6. On Saturday, the SCERT director presented a copy of the Deshbhakti Curriculum Framework to Kejriwal. He was accompanied by Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and senior education department officials. Sisodia, while presenting the Deshbhakti Curriculum to the CM, said Deshbhakti will be the guiding light of teaching and learning in Delhi government schools.

The Deshbhakti Curriculum Framework of the Delhi government aims to develop a deep sense of respect towards the constitutional values and seeks to bridge the gap between values and action, according to a statement from the government. The curriculum follows the pedagogical guidelines of the National Curriculum Framework 2005, and focuses on child-centered and critical pedagogies and ideas of National Curriculum Framework 2020. The framework acknowledges that while students' learn various aspects of Indian democracy and the Constitution as part of their existing curricula, these are currently limited to being academic subjects to be learnt and tested in exams. "There is very little scope to relate values such as equality and fraternity to their daily lives.

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The Deshbhakti Curriculum seeks to build a deeper understanding of these values and make it part of children's behaviour. Therefore, the stress is also on connecting to children's lives outside of school," the statement said. The curriculum aims to develop among students self-confidence, awareness, respect for constitutional values, and a problem solving mindset, and empower them to face challenges and bring about changes to take the country forward. The three themes of the Deshbhakti Curriculum are knowledge, values and behaviour. Through this curriculum, eight learning outcomes are sought to be achieved which are: self-awareness, self-confidence, problem solving, practising constitutional values, pluralism and diversity, environmental sustainability, ethical social behaviour, collaboration, and social and civic responsibility. Evaluation for this curriculum shall be through self-assessment, peer assessment, and assessment by teachers, the statement said.

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