Delhi govt to implement deshbhakti curriculum in schools from September 28

The Delhi government will implement the deshbhakti curriculum, which aims to instil patriotism and help students “become active and committed citizens”, from nursery to Class 12 in public schools in the Capital from September 28, when it will be launched by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at an event in Chhatrasal stadium.

In a circular released on Thursday, Directorate of Education (DoE) said, “The aforesaid curriculum shall be launched on the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh (September 28) by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal…After the launch, the deshbhakti curriculum shall be implemented in schools by teachers in every class (nursery to Class 12) as and when the schools reopen physically for the concerned classes.”

Currently, based on the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) directive last month, only students of classes 9 to 12 are allowed to return to schools for in-person classes.

“For now, the curriculum will be taught to students of classes 9 to 12 who are coming to school. The curriculum will be taught to the rest of the students only once schools reopen,” said a senior official from the education department.

The circular issued on Thursday said there will be one Deshbhakti period every day for students in nursery to Class 8, and two classes per week -- not on consequent days -- for senior students of classes 9 to 12.

“Every deshbhakti period shall start with a five-minute ‘Deshbhakti Dhyaan’, where the teacher and students shall practice mindfulness, reflect on their gratitude for the country, freedom fighters, and any five persons that they consider deshbhakts, and pledge their respect for the country,” said the DoE circular.

According to officials, 41 mentor teachers, nine NGO partners and experts played a significant role in developing the curriculum and holding a pilot run between June and July this year.

The pilot run was conducted by a core group of Delhi government schoolteachers with over 250 students of different classes in 20 schools over the online platform.

In order to ensure smooth implementation, the directorate has asked schools to appoint three deshbhakti nodal teachers in each school for the three-class groups – nursery to class 5, classes 6 to 8, and classes 9 to 12. “The deshbhakti nodal teacher should preferably be a teacher of a class in the same cohort and he/she shall also take deshbhakti class with one section of a class,” the DoE circular said.

Officials said an orientation will be conducted for all nodal teachers between September 29 and October 5 by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Delhi.

Principals of Delhi government schools have been asked to forward names for the nodal teachers before September 27 as these teachers also have to conduct an orientation session for all deshbhakti teachers of their respective groups before implementing the curriculum.

Mentor teacher Anju Rohilla, who was involved in the pilot run, said that through the curriculum, students were encouraged to ask questions that they wouldn’t usually think about. “We have designed the curriculum in a way that learning has to be conversational and through discussions. Sometimes children may find it difficult to respond because these are questions they have never been asked – like how they can express their love for their country and others. We had given the feedback that teachers should ask more prompting questions and that is likely to be implemented in the final curriculum,” she said.