Delhi government schools will soon introduce lessons on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and leaders such as Veer Savarkar, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The new educational initiative, titled Rashtraneeti, was announced by Education Minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday with the aim of familiarising students with diverse strands of India’s political and freedom struggle history, reported Ifrah Mufti of The New Indian Express.
Sood explained that the inclusion of a chapter on the RSS is aimed at fostering civic awareness and social responsibility among students, while also emphasising the importance of the country’s Fundamental Duties. Designed for Classes 1 to 12, the programme seeks to nurture ethical governance, civic consciousness, and national pride.
The curriculum will cover the history and origins of the RSS, its guiding principles, and its involvement in social service and disaster relief efforts, including blood donation drives, food distribution, and aid during the Kedarnath and Bihar floods, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic. It will also highlight the organisation’s role in India’s freedom struggle.
Students will learn about the contributions of leaders associated with the RSS, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and current PM Narendra Modi. A dedicated section will also focus on unsung heroes such as Subhas Chandra Bose and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
To support teachers, handbooks have been prepared, and training sessions are being conducted at SCERT. Decisions on the specific classes that will study the new chapters are still being finalised.
The Rashtraneeti programme was officially launched by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on September 18 at Bharat Mandapam as part of the three new curricula introduced under the Namo Vidya Utsav. The initiative, officials said, aims to provide students with practical insights into governance, democracy, and active citizenship.
Reacting to the move, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) issued a statement: “The BJP government should also add that PM Modi is the only Prime Minister in the world who refuses to disclose details of his degree. The Central Government even fought cases in the High Court to prevent Delhi University from sharing his degree records under the Right to Information Act.”