Delhi Govt Launches ‘Rashtraneeti’ Curriculum: RSS History, Unsung Heroes & Civic Values to Be Taught from Class 1–12

What the New Curriculum Will Include

Announced by Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood, the 'Rashtraneeti' program is designed for students from classes 1 to 12 and aims to foster civic responsibility, ethical leadership, and national pride .

Lessons on the RSS:  The curriculum will cover the  history and ideology of the RSS , founded in 1925 by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar . It will highlight the organization's  social service work , including its role in disaster relief during events like the Kedarnath floods and the COVID-19 pandemic .

 Focus on 'Unsung Heroes':  A special section will be dedicated to freedom fighters and leaders such as  Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee  . The initiative aims to expand students' perspectives on the independence movement beyond the narratives of Gandhi and Nehru .

Implementation in Classrooms

The program was officially launched on September 18 by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta . The final syllabus is currently being vetted and is expected to be distributed in hard copy to schools by late October or the second week of November .

To prepare for the rollout, the  Directorate of Education has prepared teacher handbooks, and training sessions are already underway  at the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) .

The introduction of this curriculum has sparked mixed reactions, with the ruling party supporting its educational value, while opposition parties, including the AAP and Congress, have criticized the move, calling it "indoctrination" and expressing concerns that certain controversial historical aspects may be omitted .