Students in Delhi schools to learn about RSS, freedom fighters under new programme 'Rastraneeti'

New Delhi: Students of Delhi government schools will soon be taught about the RSS under a new education programme, 'Rashtraneeti', featuring lessons on freedom fighters including Veer Savarkar, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Education Minister Ashish Sood said on Tuesday.

"The chapter on RSS is being added under this programme to inculcate civic and social consciousness among students and to bring Fundamental Duties into focus," Sood said.

The chapter under the educational programme titled 'Rashtraneeti' has been designed to promote civic awareness, ethical governance and national pride among students from Class 1 to Class 12.

As part of the course, children will be taught about the origin and history of the RSS, its ideology and the role of its workers in extending help during natural disasters and the freedom struggle. The lessons also aim to address misconceptions about the organisation, a source told PTI.

According to him, the contributions mentioned in the text will highlight RSS participation in the freedom struggle, along with its social work, such as blood donation drives, food supply, rescue efforts during disasters like the Kedarnath and Bihar floods, and relief activities during the Covid pandemic.

The chapter will also trace the history of the RSS, founded in 1925 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, by Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. It will underline the organisation’s focus on cultural awareness, discipline, service and social responsibility, and mention leaders such as former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi who have been associated with it.

A separate section will be dedicated to unsung heroes. Students will learn about figures such as Veer Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the source added.

Teacher handbooks have already been prepared and training sessions are under way at SCERT, he said, adding that more details on the curriculum are still being discussed, including the decision on which class groups will study the new chapters.

"This course is being introduced across all classes to give students practical exposure to governance, democracy and active citizenship," the source said.

The Rashtraneeti programme was officially launched by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on September 18 as one of the three new curricula introduced under the ‘Namo Vidya Utsav’ at Bharat Mandapam.