THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : School students in the state are all set to have a gender sensitive curriculum, with a focus on equal justice. Lessons on Pocso rules, democratic and secular values and scientific temperament will also feature in the new curriculum. In line with the state government’s declared stance, all revised textbooks will include the preamble to the Constitution.
The revised textbooks will reach students of Classes 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 in the state syllabus schools by the beginning of the next academic year. Textbooks for Class 5 will lay special focus on vocational education.
The state school curriculum steering committee that met in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday approved the revision of textbooks, which is being done after a decade. For Classes 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, the new textbooks will be introduced in the 2025-26 academic year.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty said steps will be taken to ensure that the textbooks reach students at least two weeks before the school reopening. The previous school curriculum framework was prepared in 2007 and the textbooks were thoroughly revised accordingly that year. Only minor changes were made to some of the textbooks in 2013.
“Special textbooks will be brought out for art and vocational education for children from Class 5 onwards. The vocational sectors will include tourism, agriculture, IT, textiles besides skill development. This will ensure that the children develop a job-oriented outlook right from an early age,” Sivankutty said.
“For the first time, all revised textbooks will include the preamble to the Constitution. The textbooks will also focus on sports, waste management, cleanliness, civic sense, gender awareness, scientific outlook, Pocso rules, agriculture and democratic and secular values,” he said.
Sivankutty said for the first time in the country, books will be brought out for parents/ guardians to make them aware of the right approach towards the child’s education and how to contribute towards the child’s mental, physical and emotional growth. ● More on P6
Textbook revision
Special texts for art and vocational education for children from Class 5
All revised textbooks to have the preamble to the Constitution included
Pocso rules to be part of curriculum as per directions of the High Court
Books for parents on the right approach towards child’s education
Digital form of all textbooks will be made available: Min
After the textbook revision, books for teachers will be brought out and they will be trained. The digital version of all textbooks will be made available, the minister said.
He said activity books will be brought out for all textbooks of Class 1. Malayalam alphabet has been included in the textbooks of Class 1 and could be taught to students either in the traditional manner or through ideas. Sivankutty indicated that the state will have to bring out its own textbooks for all subjects in the Higher Secondary section if the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) continues to tinker with portions to suit a ‘particular section’. At present, as many as 12 subjects in the state Higher Secondary course follow textbooks brought out by NCERT.
Amendment to revise KER
Sivankutty said a legislative amendment will be introduced in the assembly to revise outdated provisions of the Kerala Education Rules (KER). This was required as many appointments carried out as per KER provisions were frequently stuck in legal battles. Sivankutty said the Special Rules regarding integration of school education under a single directorate will be framed before the next academic year.