Thiruvananthapuram- As India stands just 8 days away from celebrating her 75th Republic Day on January 26th, the discourse is noticeably shifting from constitutional discussions to the upcoming consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

With the nationwide focus on the Ram Mandir inauguration, even the Chairperson of the Bar Council of India, Manan Kumar Mishra, has written to Chief Justice of India, Justice DY Chandrachud, urging for a holiday for all courts across the nation on January 22. This request from the legal fraternity suggests a religious inclination. However, in a contrasting approach, the Left-led government in Kerala is opting for a constitutional path, aligning with the vision of Baba Saheb BR Ambedkar to promote secularism both in action and words.

The government has decided that, for the first time in the state's history, children in Kerala schools will be taught the preamble to the country's constitution. According to official sources from the CPI(M)-led Left government on Wednesday, a decision has been made to include the preamble of the constitution in textbooks from classes 1 to 10 to promote constitutional values in the minds of children.

State Education Minister and Chairman of the State Curriculum Committee, V. Shivankutty, announced this important decision on Wednesday. The Steering Committee of the State Curriculum Committee has recently approved 173 new textbooks as part of the curriculum reforms implemented after a decade. Shivankutty stated, "This is the first time that the preamble of the constitution has been included and printed at the beginning of every textbook." The minister said that the LDF government has made it clear from the beginning that the southern state will enhance improvement activities while maintaining constitutional values.

Preamble to be part of all revised textbooks in the state

Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Jayaprakash R.K., stated that the preamble is already present in many NCERT textbooks, but it is the first time that Kerala is taking such an initiative. He mentioned that the preamble will be part of all revised textbooks in the state. It will also be included in the training of teachers. This will help both teachers and students understand the essence of the preamble. If the textbooks are in the Malayalam language, the preamble will be in Malayalam. He added that it will be in Tamil in Tamil textbooks and in Hindi in Hindi textbooks.

When asked about the government's decision to make the preamble part of school textbooks, he said that the aim of this initiative is to create awareness among youth about the importance of the constitution. This is a time when there is widespread discussion about the constitution and its values in the country, and this step will help children understand its importance from a young age.

The officer further stated that teachers will be trained to explain the meaning and message of the constitution and its preamble while teaching children. Although understanding the concept of the constitution for children in lower classes may be challenging, he said that they will be capable of understanding its basic principles by at least the fifth grade. According to sources in the education department, the revised textbooks will reach students a few weeks before schools reopen for the next academic year.

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