GUWAHATI, Aug 8 - Union Minister for Power, Coal and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal today laid stress on introducing moral education and civics in the country�s educational curriculum. Besides promoting the message of love and feeling of oneness, India should be made the best place to live in and also a super power, he said.
Also underscoring the need to work unitedly for making the people of the country free from deprivation, poverty and illiteracy, he said that there cannot be any limit for a society to give education to all its members. In this context, he asserted that the country should remember every teacher who worked for enlightening the people with honour. Let these teachers be treated as next only to God, he said.
Speaking at the Don Bosco Bicentenary Educational Seminar at the Machkhowa Pragjyoti ITA Centre for Performing Arts here this afternoon, the Union Minister further said, �We should also inculcate the habit of thrift and ignite the spirit of inquisitiveness among the children. Let all of us pledge to contribute to create a better tomorrow for our children and the country as well.�
Regretting the absence of moral education and civics in the country�s educational curriculum, he said that if the value system, tolerance and fondness for cleanliness are inculcated among the children, things would stand quite apart from what they are today. A clean environment leads to a clean mind, he said.
However, he lamented that the issue of introducing moral education is inviting a lot of opposition from various quarters. But good education should have moral education in its curriculum. �Moreover, since by and large our people these days lack the elementary knowledge of civic science, civics should also be made a part of our curriculum,� he said.
The Union Minister also maintained that the teachers should practise what they intend to preach and to make India a superpower, they should ignite the zeal among their students to excel in whatever field they (students) desire to engage themselves professionally.
But, he said, the country needs to make all-round efforts to provide equal opportunities to all. Good education starts with equal opportunity to all and sundry. Besides, quality of education also counts, he said.
An alumnus of the Don Bosco High School, Matunga, Mumbai, Goyal said as an educationist, Don Bosco not only brought changes in education, he had also laid stress on equal opportunities to all. The Indian freedom fighters also dreamt of equality, besides freedom from poverty and illiteracy. They also inspired brotherhood among the countrymen, said the minister.
