Gita will be taught in the schools of Gujarat from class 6th to class 12th. State Education Minister Jitu Vaghani said in Gujarat Assembly on Thursday (17 March 2022) that students should have an understanding of Gita and its shlokas. Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have also welcomed this decision of BJP government. In this regard, a circular has been issued by the Gujarat government, which states that the idea behind doing this is to make the students feel proud and also have a connection with their traditions.
Indian culture should be included in the school curriculum in a way that is conducive to the holistic development of the students. Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani said, “The values, principles and importance of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita have been accepted by people of all religions. In class 6, Shrimad Bhagavad Gita will be introduced in such a way that the interest of the students is generated.
He further said, “The importance of Gita will be told to the students. Later the stories will be presented in the form of shlokas, shloka songs, essays, debates, dramas, quiz etc. The government will provide all this in the schools.” The circular issued by the state government further states that Shrimad Bhagavad Gita will be introduced in the form of stories and lessons in text books from class 6-12. Students will be given an in-depth introduction to Gita for classes 9-12. The circular states, “There should be verse recitation, essay, painting, essay, quiz competition etc. on Gita. The syllabus should be printed with audio visuals.”
At the same time, the opposition parties- Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have welcomed the decision to include Geeta in the school curriculum. Reacting to the decision, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hemang Rawal said, “We welcome the decision to include Gita in the curriculum, but the Gujarat government also needs to learn from Gita. Gita clearly says that to face any situation you have to accept that situation first. What is the current status of education in Gujarat? Of the total 33,000 schools, only 14 are A-plus grade schools. Up to 18,000 posts of teachers are vacant and 6,000 schools are closed.