Representational image only
The Gujarat government on March 17, Thursday announced in the assembly that the Bhagavad Gita will be a part of the school syllabus for classes 6 to 12 across the state from the academic year 2022-23.
A circular issued by the state government in this regard said the idea is to "cultivate a sense of pride and connection to traditions".
The circular went on to explain how including Indian culture and epistemology in the school curriculum is conducive to the holistic development of the students.
"Shrimad Bhagavad Gita's values, principals and importance are accepted by people of all religions. Gujarat's Education Minister Jitu Vaghani said, "They [students] will be told the importance of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. Later, the stories will be introduced in the form of shlokas, shloka songs, essays, debates, plays, quizzes, etc. Everything will be provided to the schools by the government."
The circular issued by the state government further explains that Shrimad Bhagavad Gita will be introduced from Classes 6-12 in the form of stories and recitation in textbooks. For Classes 9-12, students will be offered a deeper introduction to Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.
Both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have welcomed the decision to include Shrimad Bhagavad Gita in the school syllabus.
Reacting to the move, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hemang Raval said, "We welcome the decision of inclusion of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus, but the Gujarat government also needs to learn from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita itself.
Gujarat AAP spokesperson Yogesh Jadvani, while welcoming the state government's decision, said, "We welcome the decision made by the government of Gujarat. This will benefit the students."