Every child in Delhi will be a patriot in the true sense, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal exuded as he launched the AAP government’s ambitious ‘Deshbhakti Curriculum’ on Tuesday. At the launch event held at Chhatrasal Stadium on the birth anniversary of revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, the Chief Minister remarked that nowadays people feel patriotic only while raising the Tricolour or singing the national anthem. But patriotism has to be a continually evolving feeling within everyone, he said.
Every child in Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal said, would be a “deshbhakt (patriot) in the truest sense”, thanks to the curriculum. Deshbhakti, he added, had to be a “continually evolving feeling” even as he called for the development of Deshbhakt professionals.
“We need to develop an environment wherein we all and our children constantly feel patriotic at every step they take. We can only imagine what the future would look like if this happens,” he said.
The curriculum will be rolled out from nursery to Class XII as and when the schools reopen and it will have no textbooks for students but for facilitators teaching it.
“This is a big day for our country. This is not just going to talk about Deshbhakti, but inculcate a passion for it,” Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said. “This will not be preaching moral values, but expect the students to retrospect towards their own patriotism.”
Delhi chief minister Kejriwal earlier said that the deshbhakti curriculum will not be based on rote learning and there will be no tests. “It will be activity-based and students will be told stories about independence and the nation’s pride,” he said. “Children will be made to realise their responsibilities and duties towards the country.”
The framework of the ‘Deshbhakti’ curriculum submitted by a government-appointed panel was approved by the governing council of the state council of educational research and training (SCERT) on August 6. The chief minister of Delhi made the public announcement of the curriculum on the 73rd Independence Day in 2019, expressing his hope that in the future, this curriculum will be taught in schools across the country.
