Respecting women to become syllabus

The gangrape of a 23-year-old woman on December 16 that shook the nation brought the issue of gender sensitisation in spotlight. And now the Delhi government is planning to make changes to the curriculum in schools under it. Neelam Pandey reports.

The gangrape of a 23-year-old woman on December 16 that shook the nation brought the issue of gender sensitisation in spotlight. And now the Delhi government is planning to make changes to the curriculum in schools under it.

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According to Delhi government officials, a number of NGOs and parents had approached them, raising concerns over the current scenario and suggesting that gender sensitisation be made a part of the education system. A meeting regarding this was held on Friday to discuss the issue at length and a committee was formed by the education department.

As the Delhi government follows the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), a decision was taken to form a committee that will decide the changes that are required in the existing syllabus and whether gender sensitisation could be a part of moral education too.

"A meeting was held last week wherein NGOs working on gender sensitisation and members of NCERT were invited. The issue was discussed at length and many suggestions were also given. All the members suggested that a committee should be formed so that the suggestions can be discussed at length and incorporated accordingly," said a senior Delhi government official.

One of the suggestions made by the members was to have the students take a pledge that they will treat women with dignity and respect.

"Some of the members said that schools should be asked to adopt various means to teach students to treat women with dignity, equality and respect. Also, members said that gender sensitivity should be incorporated as an important aspect of value education," added the official.

Officials also pointed out that suggestions given by the NGOs and parents were an outpour following the brutal gang-rape incident in the city.

"The committee has been asked to make suggestions about topics that can be included and the method of teaching which can be followed for imparting this knowledge to children," added the official.