'Deshbhakti' curriculum to start in Delhi govt school from next year: Arvind Kejriwal
New Delhi, Aug 14: The Delhi government will introduce a 'Deshbhakti' curriculum in its schools from the next academic year to inculcate in students love for the country and make them aware of their responsibilities, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on the eve of Independence Day.
Speaking at the launch of the 'Constitution at 70' campaign on Wednesday, Kejriwal said the decision to introduce the curriculum was taken at a meeting on Tuesday between him and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio.
The campaign, which will end on November 26 the day in 1949 when the Constitution of India was adopted, is being held in all government schools. Students of Class 6-9 and Class 11 will be part of the campaign.
Ordinarily we are reminded of our love for the country either when there is an India-Pakistan match or when there is tensions on the border. In our day-to-day lives we forget about our country.The 'Deshbhakti' curriculum is being introduced so that each and every citizen of this country truly loves their country," Kejriwal said at the event.
He said the objective of the curriculum will be to inculcate a feeling of love for the country, respect towards it and respect for guests.
"When our children grow older and start working, and at any point if they accept a bribe, then they must feel from within that they are betraying 'Bharat Mata'. When they jump a traffic light, they must feel they've wronged their country," Kejriwal said.
"We hear of so many incidents where foreign nationals come to India, they are faced with loot, assault, rape. When we hear stories of Indians returning from Japan, we only hear praises for the Japanese and their hospitality. We have to love our country to the extent that we respect it and respect our guests," he said.
The 'Deshbhakti' curriculum is aimed at achieving three important goals-- each and every child must feel proud of the nation, making children aware of their responsibility and duty towards the country, and instill a feeling of passion to sacrifice anything for the nation, the chief minister said.
"Children must be taught about the glories of the country. Each child must be made aware of their responsibility and duty towards the country. India has a hundred problems. We are poor, our farmers commit suicide. But who will solve these problems? It is us who will have to find solutions," he said.
Children have to realise that the problems, the country is facing, will have to be solved by all, Kejriwal stressed.
"We have to create a sense of ownership among all children that they have to take on the challenges we are facing as a country head on and address them. Third, we have to instill among children the passion and commitment to be prepared to sacrifice anything for the nation," he said.
The curriculum will be the "biggest gift to the nation" on the special occasion of the 73rd Independence Day, Kejriwal said.
Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia said teachers and principals of Delhi government schools will be at the forefront of the designing of this curriculum, similar to the way the 'Happiness' and 'Entrepreneurship Mindset' curriculums were designed.
"I have directed the department to form a cell to drive this and take inputs from people across the country. I am optimistic that by the next academic year we will be able to launch this curriculum," he said.
The announcement of the 'Deshbhakti' curriculum comes ahead of the Delhi assembly poll, which is due early next year.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
