“Education is not just the delivery of facts but the cultivation of a soul that feels for the nation, and our new classroom directives ensure that this soul is rooted in the indigenous soil of India,” a senior educator in a government school in Southwest Delhi says.
After a decade of governing Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was dethroned by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last year, and an area where the impact of the regime change can be felt strongly is the school curricula, where a distinct rightward tilt has taken place. Amongst the significant changes brought about by the BJP government in school education is the introduction of the Rashtraneeti curriculum, which incorporates the historical background of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and biographies of former Sangh leaders and party members. With a focus on nationalism, the Rashtraneeti curriculum is designed for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 studying in schools under the Directorate of Education, National Capital Territory of Delhi, with the purpose of inculcating civic awareness, national consciousness, and an understanding of Indian political history.
A specific section titled ‘RSS@100‘ has been included marking the centenary of the organisation. It traces the origins of the organisation from 1925, founding principles, and philosophy. Chapters cover the involvement of the organisation in social services and feature profiles of Veer Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and a special section on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee highlighting his association with the RSS. This is a marked shift from the previous Deshbhakti curricula, which focused on stories of revolutionaries and unsung freedom fighters.
The Ideological Turn
From an ad hoc procedure which relied on teacher manuals and activity handbooks, the Rashtraneeti curricula have standardised textbooks and manuals for master trainers. According to the circular issued by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), training for master trainers began in July last year. Textbooks with SCERT designed modules were also introduced in a phased manner from November 2025. According to the presentation by the council on the curriculum, the core components are civic awareness, democratic participation, ethical citizenship, inclusiveness, nation building, and constitutional respect. The curriculum divides the scholastic engagements for students into four stages. These are the foundational stage from Kindergarten to Grade 2 focused on civic awareness; the preparatory stage from Grades 3 to 5 focused on civic responsibility; the middle stage from Grades 6 to 8 focused on civic engagement and leadership; and the secondary stage from Grades 9 to 12 focused on strategic thinking, public policy, and practical governance.
Amongst the significant changes brought about by the BJP government in school education is the introduction of the Rashtraneeti curriculum, which incorporates the historical background of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and biographies of former Sangh leaders and party members.
The training manual instructs each school to constitute a Rashtraneeti Committee with the principal, mentor teacher, coordinators for the four stages, student representatives, and supporting teachers for each club. The SCERT claims that this curriculum is in line with the National Education Policy 2020, Sustainable Development Goals, and Universal Design of Learning. A teacher teaching in a government school in Central Delhi confirmed this and shared how specific in-charges are appointed for different clubs, thereby reducing the onus on every teacher to conduct and train for these activities, which was required previously. A report prepared by Dr. BR Ambedkar CM SHRI School provides an insight into how the curriculum comes into practice. Under this, sub-committees namely Virasat, Nirmaya, Sahitya, Neeti, Eco-Club, Prahari, and the Inclusive Committee, are formed. A captain is chosen for each committee amongst the students across the four different levels. Each committee has designated tasks to achieve with Virasat focusing upon exploring Indian cultural heritage, Nirmaya promoting health and well-being, Sahitya encouraging Indian literary traditions, Neeti highlighting ethics and good governance, Eco-Club promoting environmental awareness, Prahari maintaining discipline and safety on campus; and the Inclusive committee working to ensure equity and acceptance amongst students. Priya, a PhD scholar from Delhi University working on gender and education, said that this is as if “mini RSS shakhas are being created in schools”. She added how the Devanagiri bend of this curriculum is apparent even though Delhi hosts students from across the country.
Old Wine in a New Bottle
The changes in the curricula are in line with the alterations being made in other sectors, such as health, where Mohalla Clinics are being replaced by Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. The National Students Union of India (NSUI) strongly criticised the decision to introduce the history of the RSS in the syllabus under the Rashtraneeti programme. NSUI President Varun Choudhary alleged the government was whitewashing history. He said, “True education strengthens the values of the Constitution, democracy, equality, and justice—it does not glorify organisations that have consistently opposed these values.” NSUI will strongly oppose this conspiracy to mislead students and spread hate, and we will raise our voice across Delhi against it.”
The Rashtraneeti curriculum and other programmes were officially launched during the Namo Vidya Utsav at Bharat Mandapam on September 18, 2025, by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and state education minister Ashish Sood. Earlier, in March 2025, Sood, in a media interaction, alleged that the schemes by the previous government were meant for gaining political mileage and amounted to self-advertising. Besides the Rashtraneeti curriculum, which is seen as having replaced the Deshbhakti curriculum, the Science of Living curriculum replaces the Happiness Curriculum that the previous government had incorporated into scholastic engagements. The Happiness Curriculum was launched by the Dalai Lama in 2018 for Nursery to Class 8 students. The previous administration projected it as an innovative approach to education, although its critics said it did not lead to any tangible improvement in academic performance.
The Science of Living programme comprises yoga, meditation, and lessons on moral values. The education minister has said the programme will include the teachings of prominent spiritual gurus like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of the Isha Foundation as well as yoga lessons of Baba Ramdev. However, it is widely believed to be an extension of the Happiness Curriculum with new topics such as digital detox, legal awareness, and ancient Indian knowledge systems, or Panch Kosha, and it extends from Kindergarten to class 12. Laying out the key differences between the two, a government school teacher in southwest Delhi said that the new curriculum focuses a lot on indigenous systems, namely the Panch Kosha. She added that emotional well-being and physical fitness through yoga are a priority. She noted that it is good that this new curriculum is applicable for students of senior secondary school as well, as it helps senior students learn stress coping mechanisms.
Besides the Rashtraneeti curriculum, which is seen as having replaced the Deshbhakti curriculum, the Science of Living curriculum replaces the Happiness Curriculum that the previous government had incorporated into scholastic engagements.
A teacher from a school in East Delhi said in support, “We are finally moving away from a curriculum of convenience to a curriculum of conviction, ensuring our students know the true architects of the Indian consciousness”.
New priorities, old ideologies
It is learned that teachers have been told to focus more on the regular subjects than the special curricula which previously proved to be burdensome to them. According to a teacher in a government school in Kanti Nagar, East Delhi, Science of Living activities are to be organised bi-monthly and it is a marked shift from the weekly engagements that had to be conducted under the happiness curriculum. She said that it is less burdensome because they can focus on completing the syllabus and prioritise activities only when it is required.
Another initiative, New Era of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Vision (NEEV), was launched for students from Class 8 onwards to receive vocational training working in startups and industries alongside 20,000 rupees in seed funding for student groups. This is similar to the 2,000 rupees provided to students under the Business Blasters scheme by the previous government. Asked whether a regime change in Delhi has resulted in a different ideological direction being given to education, political commentator Ashutosh said, “Ideally it should not happen, but this government is driven by ideology, which looks at education with a different perspective, and also, competitive politics has kicked in”. Ashutosh also said that the change in the curricula is also an effort at rebranding. He stated that a change of name will not lead to a substantial change in curriculum and that it is basically to take away credit from the previous government and put their own stamp.
Changes are, however, not uniformly implemented. A teacher from a school affiliated with the Delhi government reported that the Happiness curriculum was continuing, and she had never heard about the Science of Living or Rashtraneeti curriculums being introduced or implemented. On the other hand, another teacher from Kanti Nagar, East Delhi, said that new handbooks and reference materials have been introduced and training has been conducted. She said that it is the same idea but the approach and methodology are different.
About the author(s)
Second year student of Media Studies at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), BRC, Bangalore. A trained Kathak dancer, theatre artist and political nerd.
