Tamil Nadu Tamil text book to have a lesson on former CM Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: With the intention of educating the children studying the State syllabus about former Chief Minister and Dravidian idol M Karunanidhi, the school education department has introduced a lesson about the leader in the Tamil textbook from the next academic year.

Meanwhile, a brief chapter about the leader is already in place in class 9 Tamil textbooks under the State syllabus.

As part of the centenary celebrations, the current DMK-government announced a year-long celebration of various kinds in the State.

Subsequently, in connection with that, the school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in the assembly last year announced that a lesson on the life and contribution of the late leader will be added in class 9 Tamil textbook.

However, taking it forward, the Tamil Nadu Text Book and Educational Services Corporation (TNTB&ESC) has now added a detailed chapter about the leader in class 10 textbook too.

In the recent addition, the chapter with five sides, has a detailed description of the work done by the leader in 11 different fields such as, oration, spear-heading major political movements and protests, creative endeavors from cinema, drama, writing and more.

Speaking about how the inclusion of life and contribution of leaders is vital in school textbooks and it should be looked beyond politics, a Tamil teacher of a government school said, "Including the lessons about our own leaders, from freedom fighters to ace political leaders gives the students an opportunity to learn and introspect about the work done by our own people. Not just Karunanidhi, the lives of other notable leaders must also be added in future."

Meanwhile, it is to be noted that this is not the first time that the leader has been mentioned in the State syllabus. Even in April 2011, the newly introduced 'Samacheer Kalvi' textbooks had an additional reading material about the then DMK leader Karunanidhi.