Oxford University Press has a message for schoolkids: Live in harmony, value peace

Oxford University Press (OUP) has come out with a new edition of the 'living in harmony' series, a course on value-education and life skills for schools. The 10-part series is specially designed to sensitise students on the need for harmony and mutual respect among individuals and communities.

"Living in harmony series endeavours to inculcate and reinforce universal human values of peace, love, truth and cooperation," OUP said in a statement. The updated edition has expanded its range to now include books for classes 9 and 10 from the earlier programme of books for Classes 1 to 8. The revised course also has lesson plans and free teacher's manuals.

Speaking about the programme, series editor Mini Krishnan said "This series is designed to give our future generations a broader view of life, by fostering values, social awareness and life skills in them. It is an earnest effort to ensure that our children grow into responsible and thoughtful adults."

The series has been creatively compiled by incorporating examples from current issues and by including activity-based exercises at the end of each chapter. The books in the series also showcase the rich cultural heritage of India with chapters dedicated to traditional music, arts and dance forms.

The new series addresses the need for value education expressed in the national curriculum framework, OUP said. "Our team of six authors has also developed lessons on gender sensitivity from classes 1-10 and emphasised safety for young children. In the higher classes, the series includes sensitive topics, such as sexuality, tensions between social groups, poverty, the two sides of technology, social inequality etc," it said.