NEW DELHI: The life and teachings of BR Ambedkar will be taught in all the Delhi government schools for Classes 6 to 12, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday.
“We mark his (Ambedkar’s) death anniversary as Mahaparinirvan Diwas every year. But this year, it is special as the Delhi government launched a booklet on the life and teachings of Ambedkar to be taught in all its schools. I hope that private schools will also include the booklet in their curriculum,” Kejriwal said, after releasing the booklet at an event held to mark the 63rd death anniversary of Ambedkar at Thyagaraj Sports Complex here.
“Ambedkar was a brave and mighty soul. Portraying him just as a Dalit leader doesn’t do justice to his greatness. He raised his voice for all the neglected and exploited sections of the society, apart from protesting against the Dalit atrocities in the country,” the chief minister stressed.
Kejriwal said students needed to be taught the rights that the Constitution guarantees. “This booklet should only be considered as a draft. We will refine the booklet as per the feedbacks obtained from the students, teachers, and guardians,” he added.
While the first part of the booklet, ‘Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar: A Short Biography’, for Class 6 explores the life and education of Ambedkar and his social reforms, contributions to women empowerment and framing the Constitution of India, the second part for Class 7 details his contributions to social justice, and gender justice. The third part of the booklet for Class 8 elucidates Ambedkar’s body of work for Parliamentary democracy and government.
The Social Welfare department of the Delhi government prepared the booklet with the help of three scholars and experts from Delhi University — Mani Sagar, Shashi Rani, and N Sukumar.
At the same event, Deputy CM and education minister Manish Sisodia appealed to the countrymen that they should strive hard to realise Ambedkar’s vision. “Today, with this curriculum, we introduce the noble thoughts that Ambedkar believed in, to our children, so that they would also learn to inculcate it in their lives,” he asserted.
Winter break reduced
Govt decided to reduce the winter break for its schools, to compensate for the study hours lost due to poor air quality and heat wave. The winter break was supposed to begin from Dec 28 and continue till Jan 15, 2020. Now, the break for Classes 6 to 12 will begin on Jan 1 and continue till Jan 15. But the old schedule of Dec 28-Jan 15 will be observed for nursery to Class 5