RANCHI: The School Education and Literacy Department in Jharkhand has decided to include the biography of 'Dishom Guru' Shibu Soren in the school curriculum from the next session. According to officials, the curriculum will include the course material related to the life and contribution of Shibu Soren in all the schools of the state.
For classes 1 to 5, Shibu Soren will be introduced through simple language and stories, while from class 6 onwards, aspects like his social and political struggle, his role in protecting tribal identity, and parliamentary life will be taught in detail. There will also be project works and educational activities along with the curriculum.
According to officials, Shibu Soren has given new heights to the identity of Jharkhand. His life struggle, values and devotion to the rights of the society will become a source of inspiration for the coming generations. Therefore, efforts are being made that students should not only get information, but also understand how important struggle and honesty are to bring about change, they said.
School education and literacy department secretary Umashakar Singh informed that a proposal has been prepared to include Shibu Soren's biography and his contribution in school curriculum in different subjects and formats according to the classes.
In class 1 and 2, children will be taught about his life introduction and resolution through 'Chitrakatha' (comic story). His efforts towards environmental protection will be taught to the students through poetry and story in class 4 books. In class 6, Soren's anti-drug campaign and ideas of local self-governance will be taught under social science.
Subsequently, class 7 students will be given information about Akil Akhra i.e. night school started by Shibu Soren. Class 8 Hindi and social science books will describe the human aspects of his life and the movements he led. His biography will be included in Hindi, English and Urdu subjects in class 9.
This will give students an opportunity to know in depth about his struggle and efforts for social reform. In addition to that, Shibu Soren's 19-point programme will be included in the language books of class 11. Through this chapter, students will get a chance to understand how Shibu Soren made plans for social reform and upliftment of the tribal community. Along with this, his life struggle, political journey and work done for the society will be presented as chapters in different subjects till class 12.
State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Deputy Director PK Choubey said that chapters based on his life will be added in a total of eight books from class 1 to 12. Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has welcomed this initiative. Senior party leader Mithilesh Thakur termed it a historic decision.