DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Nominated Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu has praised the Union Education Ministry for placing its emphasis on the icons of Sikhism and Punjab in the school education curriculum.

Sandhu recently raised the issue of introducing school students to icons of Sikhism, stories of freedom fighters, and the cultural heritage of Punjab through textbooks in the House during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament.

Sandhu sought details from the Education Ministry on the steps taken by the Centre to introduce school students to the icons of Sikhism, popularise stories or biographies of freedom fighters from Punjab among them, and highlight the cultural heritage of Punjab among the students.

In response, Minister of State for Education, Jayant Chaudhary, informed that chapters on various Sikh icons and freedom fighters from Punjab are part of the curriculum in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks.

Chapters on Baba Guru Nanak, Sikhs, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Singh Sabha Movement, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jallianwala Bagh, and Bhagat Singh are part of the NCERT curriculum, the Minister said.

Expressing his appreciation for the emphasis placed on Sikhism and Punjab in the education curriculum as informed by the Ministry of Education in its reply, Satnam Singh on Saturday expressed hope for more stories to be included in the textbooks in the future.

"It is a matter of pleasure that the Union Ministry of Education has placed this emphasis on the icons of Sikhism and Punjab. Besides narrating the story of these heroes who dedicated their lives to society and the nation, the emphasis also highlights the affection of the Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards Sikhism and Punjab.

"I am elated with these steps and expect a few more stories to be narrated through textbooks in time to come. Also, we should not forget that school education is a subject in the State List," said Sandhu, who founded the Chandigarh Group of Colleges at Landran in Mohali in 2001 before founding the Chandigarh University in 2012.
(editor@dailyworld.in)