20 October,2011 09:23 AM IST | | Adnan Attarwala
Education dept to incorporate chapters on senior citizens in school syllabus
In order to create awareness and sensitise students towards the problems of senior citizens in the society, the state education department will incorporate chapters on the elderly in the syllabus from next year.
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This has come after several organisations including HelpAge, Silver Innings Foundation, Indian Longevity Centre (ILC), and Harmony among others, which prepared a report after conducting a study on the problems of the elderly, have appealed to the education department to include the subject on seniors in the school's curriculum.
Besides highlighting the problems faced by the elderly, the chapters will also emphasise on traditional values and the child's responsibility towards elderly, especially their grandparents, while dealing with situations at home.
Anjali Raje, executive director of ILC Pune, said the organisation will target 20 to 25 major schools in the city, which they will visit, to give lectures and presentations, besides teaching the course of study. "We'll start by teaching students from Std I to VIII. The students should know about the rights of the elderly and also about the Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act," said Raje.
"Now that the society has started realising that abuse of the elderly is an issue, there should be at least one lesson in the syllabus on the elderly, which would sensitise students," said Kamala Shrivastav, spokesperson of HelpAge India, which has also launched the Student Action for Value Education (SAVE) campaign for school children.
Ujwalladevi Patil, chairperson of Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, said: "Though the lessons on seniors in different vernacular subjects are necessary, we are yet to decide over it."
