MYSURU: BC Nagesh, primary and secondary education minister said moral science will be introduced in schools from the next academic year which begins in May, and lessons from Bhagavad Gita and Panchatantra stories will be part of the syllabus.
A final decision on which class to introduce the subject will be taken soon, he said. Experts are divided over teaching the Bhagavad Gita to students, as they fear it will affect the secular character of the education system.
However, Nagesh said, “Moral education is important for our children. Recently, I came across an instance where students were unfamiliar with war sequences in Mahabharata. It’s our fault because we didn’t teach them. So, we have decided to introduce moral education from this academic year.” On textbook content, he said lessons will be in the form of stories. “We will pick the best moral stories for students.
It will feature Panchatantra and Gita stories. For lower classes (1 & 2), we will follow the NEP 2020 module where the emphasis is on teaching through the stories.” However, private schools are wary. D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools, said institutions should be given the freedom to take a decision in this regard.
“The government should not impose moral education texts on private schools,” Kumar said. “Many religious groups run schools in the state. They should not face any problems,” he said.
