Kerala: Will include the Preamble of the Constitution in school textbooks
Thiruvananthapuram: For the first time in the state’s history, the revised school textbooks in Kerala will include the Preamble of the country’s Constitution.
Education Minister General V Sivankutty, who is also the chairman of the state committee of the curriculum, announced the important decision.
The State Directive Committee of Curriculum has recently approved 173 new textbooks for classes I, III, V, VII and IX as part of curriculum reforms implemented after a decade.
Sivankutty said, “This is the first time that the Preamble of the Constitution has been included and printed at the beginning of each book of the text.”
The minister said the LDF government has made it clear from the beginning that the state will not undertake any reform activities while respecting constitutional values.
Jayaprakash RK, director of the State Council of Research and Capacitance Educativa (SCERT), said that many NCERT textbooks include the Preamble of the Constitution, but this is the first time that Kerala is introducing such an initiative.
SCERT is an autonomous body in charge of planning, implementation and evaluation of all educational programs from preschool level to senior secondary level.
When the government was questioned about the reason for including the Preamble in school textbooks, it said that the initiative was aimed at creating awareness among the youth about the meaning of the Constitution.
This is a moment when the country is witnessing a generalized debate on the Constitution and its values, and this measure will help children understand its meaning from an early age.
The official further said, teachers will receive training to convey the meaning and message of the Constitution and its Preamble to children during teaching hours.
The SCERT director said, though it may be difficult for children in lower classes to understand the concept of the Constitution, they will be able to understand its basic concepts at least when they reach class five.
Lauding the state government’s decision, Left leader and former finance minister TM Thomas Isaac said it was a response to the state’s efforts to “communalize education”.
“Kerala’s revised school text books will include the Preamble of the Constitution. The study plan will take gender issues into account. They will include lessons on POCSO rules, democratic and secular values and scientific temper. “It is our duty to communalise education. Respond to the efforts of .” Thomas said in his account on the social network platform.
According to sources in the General Education Department, the revised textbooks will be delivered to students a few weeks before schools reopen for the next academic year.
