Dharmendra Pradhan launches NCERT, UNESCO comic book to address challenges of adolescence

Menstrual nutrition, gender stereotypes and physical changes at the onset of adolescence are some of the key topics touched upon by a comic book unveiled by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.

While launching the comic book, comic book, titled Let’s Move Forward, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the book will motivate students to prioritise holistic well-being along with academic progress.

The book is a collaborative effort between the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and UNESCO New Delhi.

It will be distributed across various educational and health institutions nationwide, including State School Education Departments, SCERTs, Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs), Institutes of Advanced Study in Education (IASEs), District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), Block Institutes of Teacher Education (BITEs), and state health departments.

“... the comic books will be disseminated to the 29,000 schools affiliated with the CBSE, thereby expanding its outreach. An electronic version of the comic book will also be accessible on the Ministry of Education (MoE), NCERT, UNESCO, and DIKSHA websites,” the education ministry said in a release.

NCERT chief D S Saklani said that the book will be of help to the 253 million adolescents across the country, and the initiative is the first such aimed at their betterment.

“This is a very healthy initiative for the development, safety and security of adolescents. We decided that if we release this in a comic form, insead of a drytext book, we can help with creative engament and the book wil have greater appeal among children,” Saklani said.

He added that the book will help the children take care of their body. “Today, the advancement of technology and the internet has become dangerous, and kids are unaware of these dangers. This is an initiative to highlight and communicate to parents and students about the various stages of life, and that healthy physical development leads to mental development,” Saklani said.