Stray Relief Animal Welfare (STRAW) is a Delhi based organization which was started by Vasanthi and Dinesh Kumar few years back. The growing cruelty towards street animals forced the husband wife duo to quit their respective professions and start a full time animal welfare NGO. Unlike other NGOs who focus on animal rescue, their aim is to inculcate empathy and compassion in the young minds of India. Initially they went from school to school teaching students empathy towards animals (pic in the post) but later they joined hands with CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and two state boards: The State Educational Research Training, Karnataka and State Council of Educational Research and Training, Delhi where they have asked them to introduce compassionate classrooms as a part of their syllabus.
CBSE few years back introduced life skill programme for school students and for that the couple had contributed chapters on empathy. They have written one chapter on empathy for class IX and X and have contributed eighteen chapters which will be taught to students of class VI, VII, and VIII in coming years. The couple with few volunteers have also conducted workshop on being humane for college students in Delhi.
An article about their wonderful work got published recently in April 2020. To read the article kindly go on the link below:
In the year 2013 Peta India in collaboration with the previous Govt's Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor, introduced Humane Education (Compassionate Citizen) in CBSE school syllabus. If one reads the below link one finds how the previous govt, it's minister, AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) and Peta were so eager and excited to introduce humane education in school syllabus. It also mentions certain links which unfortunately do not exist anymore.
https://www.petaindia.com/blog/cbse-includes-humane-education-curriculum/
The present Govt came into power in the year 2014 but it seems it neither executed what the previous Govt had left halfway nor it came out with its own syllabus on animal welfare. However, it did revise the NCERT syllabus in the year 2017. And the same was to be implemented from this academic session but now that the Govt has brought in the New Education Policy 2019 it plans to again revise the syllabus. So after two years from now we will again have a new syllabus for school children.
As far as Indian colleges are concerned every University can formulate it's own syllabus within the broad guidelines given by the UGC (University Grants Commission).
In most of the colleges there is a paper called Environmental Studies. This is taught to the undergraduate students of all disciplines (Sciences, Social sciences & Humanities). The subject was initiated at the college level by the UGC (University Grants Commission) in 2013 and the syllabus was designed by an expert committee of 5 members constituted by the UGC (University Grants Commission).
As far as school curriculum on environmental studies is concerned, CBSE which is the apex body in designing syllabus with the help of NCRRT introduced environmental studies as a paper for students of class 1st to 5th. I have recently seen and heard on social media (WhatsApp group) that there has been some positive changes in the content of this paper at school level. Some of the caregivers who are also parents have seen.some good changes in syllabus of their kids studying in class 1, 2 and 3.
It's quite possible that the revised syllabus which was initiated in the year 2017 by the present Govt and was to be implemented from this academic year has brought in some good and pro animal changes in its curriculum.
But for now It seems Environmental studies is the only subject which is being taught to both college and school students in India which covers some potion on animals as well.. And in my knowledge there is no CBSE approved syllabus on humane education, compassionate citizen or compassionate classroom which is currently being taught to Indian students.. If anyone is aware of such programme or such subject being taught to school children or college students then kindly let us know.
However, recently in 2020 IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) has introduced a post diploma course in animal welfare.
CBSE till the year 2017 didn't come out with any such syllabus because if it had then Arun Prassana the founder of People for Cattle in India would have not requested the CBSE to include animal welfare as a part of there syllabus, which thankfully CBSE agreed to but as the Tamil Nadu Curriculum Framework Committee didn't so he went to the court and the Tamil Nadu High Court then directed the Tamil Nadu Curriculum framework Committee to incorporate animal welfare in their syllabus.
In India the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) frames syllabus for school students. They do it for class nine onwards. The syllabus for class one to eight is framed by the NCERT which is also the publishing authority. It publishes textbooks which are studied by students al.all levels.
There are several state boards which run parallel to the CBSE. Almost all the states of India have their own respective state boards like we saw in the case of Tamil Nadu where the curriculum framework committee of TN did not agree to teach animal welfare to their students.
In my knowledge Tamil Nadu must be the only state which got direction from the high court to introduce animal welfare in their syllabus and that too due to Arun Prassana.
We need more people like Arun Prassana, Vasanthi and Dinesh Kumar if we want every state of India to teach animal welfare in their respective schools and colleges. Because few schools especially run by their respective states prefer to follow the syllabus approved by their state board and not one approved by the CBSE.
Let's hope the New Education Policy brought in by the existing Govt brings in uniformity in school and college syllabus.
The previous govt introduced Environmental studies as a subject in both schools and colleges so let's hope the present Modi Govt goes a step further and introduces animal.welfare as a subject at both school and college level.
Arun Prassana (petitioner for introducing animal welfare in school syllabus in Tamil Nadu)
@arun_8778
https://twitter.com/arun_8778?s=20
Vasanthi Kumar (the co founder of STRAW)
@strawindia