Lok Sabha Question No. 703 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-21
Subject: Moral Education for Students
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: KRISHNAN NARAYANASAMY RAMACHANDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 703

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.11.2016

## Moral Education for Students

## 703. SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  make  moral  education  compulsory  in  the curriculum from nursery to university level in the country;

(b) if so,the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(c) the steps taken by the Government to devise appropriate syllabus on the subject in order to inculcate moral values in students in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a)  to  (c)  Education  is  a  subject  on  the  Concurrent  List  of  the  Constitution  and  a majority of schools are under the purview of the State Governments. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks prescribe themes and examples related to moral conduct across the subject areas and across the various stages of school education in the syllabi and textbooks for classes I-XII as a followup of the National Curriculum Framework - 2005. NCERT has also brought out a Value Education Framework  entitled 'Education for values in schools -  A framework' which provides guidelines to schools to identify their priorities of values and plan their actions accordingly. NCERT has also developed a Resource Book for teachers called 'Ways to Peace'.

The  Central  Board  of  Secondary  Education  (CBSE)  has  made  moral education compulsory in the curriculum offered to the schools affiliated to it. It has published source books for classes VI-VIII and a Teacher's Manual on Life Skills for Classes IX-X and also on Environmental Education and Adolescent Education which help to foster values in children. It has also introduced value-based questions from the prescribed  books  in  the  Summative  Assessment  II  in  classes  IX-X  and  in  the  final examination in classes XI-XII from the year 2012-13. CBSE has also launched a value education kit comprising of a Hand Book for Teachers, Values Cards and a CD on songs on the theme of Duty, Solidarity and Respect for Nature.

Universities, being autonomous in academic matters, are free to revise the syllabi and curricula. However, the University Grant Commission (UGC) is funding various  programmers  at  the  Under-Graduate  and  Post-Graduate  levels  concerning Human  Rights and Values Education in the universities and colleges. The Commission has also been implementing the scheme of Human Rights Education with a  focus  on  values  education  and  providing  financial  assistance  to  the  eligible Universities/  Colleges  under  this  scheme.  The  objectives  of  this  scheme,  inter-alia, include the creation of awareness and commitment to values where the individualistic self-interest is reconciled with the collective and common good.

*****