The Education Minister Rohit Thakur today presided over a high-level meeting to deliberate on revising the school curriculum, with special focus on incorporating the rich history, literature, culture and art of Himachal Pradesh. The Minister directed 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 asked officers to contextualize NCERT textbooks for classes 6 to 12 with local Himachal references to help children develop a sense of pride and belonging. He stressed the importance of highlighting freedom fighters like General Zorawar Singh, Wazir Ram Singh Pathania, Dr. Y.S. Parmar and martyrs such as Captain Vikram Batra, Major Somnath Sharma and Captain Saurabh Kalia.
Such inclusions would strengthen student's connection with the State and prepare them for competitive examinations. The Minister also directed that contemporary issues like disaster management, climate change, green energy and sustainable development be incorporated in new curriculum.
Disaster education must be practical and activity-based to equip children to respond effectively to real-life challenges. He said that the curriculum should enhance knowledge without increasing children’s burden.
He suggested replacing irrelevant chapters with meaningful ones and promoting learning through workshops, field visits, visual aids and practical exercises rather than rote memorization. He also stressed on promoting local languages. Rohit Thakur directed the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to provide open access to resources in Himachal Pradesh via their website and portal, with QR codes and digital links for easy access.
During the meeting a major decision was taken to constitute a Committee of Experts to develop the revised curriculum. The committee will review NCERT textbooks in the Himachal context, make necessary modifications and prepare supplementary material for balanced, locally relevant education.
The committee will be notified shortly. On the occasion Vice Chancellor HPU Prof. Mahavir Singh shared his views on the curriculum reforms and said the university was working to provide students better learning opportunities by including Himachal’s heritage along with modern subjects like disaster management, green energy and skill development.
Director of Higher Education Dr. Amarjeet K. Sharma, Project Director Samagra Shiksha Rajesh Sharma, Director of School Education Ashish Kohli and other senior officers of HPU, HPBOSE and SCERT were also present in the meeting.