Himachal’s history and heritage to be part of school curriculum

Shimla: Amidst intense debate on changes in the school curriculum in the country, Himachal Pradesh’s Congress government has initiated the move to revise the school curriculum.

The government has decided to set up a committee of experts to develop the revised curriculum. The committee will review NCERT textbooks in the context of Himachal, make necessary modifications, and prepare supplementary material for balanced, locally relevant education.

The committee will be notified shortly, said Education Minister Rohit Thakur here on Wednesday.

Thakur presided over a high-level meeting to deliberate on revising the school curriculum, stressing the need to give a special focus on incorporating the rich history, literature, culture, and art of Himachal Pradesh.

The minister asked the department to prepare a curriculum that must include ancient temples, monasteries, forts, heritage sites, traditional architecture, dialects, folk arts, handicrafts, fairs, festivals, and historic movements of the state.

He also asked officers to contextualise NCERT textbooks for classes 6 to 12 with local Himachal references to help children develop a sense of pride and belonging.

Thakur stressed the importance of highlighting freedom fighters like General Zorawar Singh, Wazir Ram Singh Pathania, and YS Parmar and martyrs such as Captain Vikram Batra, Major Somnath Sharma, and Captain Saurabh Kalia.

Such inclusions would strengthen students’ connection with the state and prepare them for competitive examinations.