In a significant step, the Kerala government has included the preamble to the Constitution into revised school textbooks for the first time in the state’s history. Led by the CPI(M), the Left Government aims to instil constitutional values in children by including the preamble in textbooks from class 1 to 10, according to official sources.
V Sivankutty, the General Education Minister and Chairman of the State Curriculum Committee, announced this significant decision, emphasising the government’s commitment to constitutional values. The State Curriculum Steering Committee recently approved 173 new textbooks for various classes as part of comprehensive curriculum reforms.
Sivankutty highlighted that this marks the first instance of the preamble being included and printed at the beginning of every textbook. Jayaprakash R K, the director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), noted that while many NCERT textbooks already include the preamble, Kerala’s initiative is unique.
The Preamble will be featured in all revised textbooks, with the language aligning with the medium of instruction. For Malayalam textbooks, it will be in Malayalam, Tamil in Tamil textbooks and Hindi in Hindi textbooks. The decision aims to create awareness among youngsters about the Constitution’s significance.
SCERT will integrate the Preamble into teachers’ training, ensuring both educators and students grasp the core values. The move responds to the ongoing national discussions about the Constitution and its values, intending to foster understanding from a young age.
Acknowledging that comprehending constitutional concepts may be challenging for younger students, the SCERT Director expressed confidence that by the fifth standard, they would grasp the basics. Senior Left Leader T M Thomas Isaac praised the decision, seeing it as a response to prevent attempts to ‘communalise education.’
The revised textbooks, incorporating the Preamble, are expected to reach students ahead of the reopening of schools for the next academic year, according to sources from the General Education Department.
With inputs from PTI.