Sania, Sachin to inspire kids

They inspire millions of kids on television. Now, they will do it in the classroom.

The NCERT has decided to introduce chapters on youth icons Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza and Narain Karthikeyan, who have all made it big in the sports arena and in the hearts of young fans.

The NCERT is of the belief that as students identify with these youth icons, it will be easier to teach them a lesson or two about life through their favourite stars. “It is easy for students to remember youth icons like Sania. We have evolved chapters around India’s youth inspiration. This has also been done to make students understand in classrooms what they see or read in the media,” says NCERT director Krishna Kumar. The new textbooks will be introduced next year.

When it comes to who teaches the kids first, Sania is the clear winner. She features in a chapter on media studies in the Hindi textbook for Class VI students. The NCERT has reproduced an interview with Sania in which she speaks about her dedication and effort to reach the top. The short interview is followed by a write-up on her life.

“She is very inspiring. Her talk can inspire students to do well in life and become more sincere in whatever they want to do,” says Kumar. He adds that the interview will also be used to teach students how the media works and how the same story is treated in different newspapers.

As the students reach Class IX, they will get to know more about master blaster Tendulkar and Formula-1 star Karthikeyan. They are part of the social study textbooks, which has been changed in a big way. “We don’t want students to learn history or social studies the old way,” says Kumar.

While Tendulkar and Ranjitsinhji (Ranji) will be taught as part of Indian cricket history, Karthikeyan will figure in the chapter on how the younger generation has started taking interest in sports other than the traditional ones. Kumar hopes that this method of teaching will help students “learn more from what they observe than forceful teaching in the classroom”.