[Reader-list] 'Include Anna Hazare in textbooks', say teachers

[Chintan Girish Modi]

From
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_include-anna-hazare-in-textbooks_1533822

*'Include Anna Hazare in textbooks'*

Published: Wednesday, Apr 20, 2011, 1:37 IST
By Puja Pednekar | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

After he took the nation by storm with his 93-hour hunger strike for the
Lokpal Bill, teachers in the state want Anna Hazare’s story to be published
in the school textbooks.

Teachers have asked the State Council of Educational Research Training
(SCERT) to include Hazare’s struggle in the state board syllabus.

Maharashtra Rajya Shikshak Parishad, a statewide organisation of nearly
70,000 teachers, wrote a letter to the SCERT on Monday, to include Hazare’s
life story and his successful struggle against corruption in the syllabus so
that students can be inspired.

“Students have only read about Mahatma Gandhi. Anna is one of the few living
heroes of the country and children can learn a lot from his struggle,” said
Anil Bornare, chairperson of the Mumbai division of the Parishad.

In the letter, the teachers said that Hazare has become a role model for
many students who witnessed his fast at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

“Students have grown indifferent towards corruption. But after seeing what
Anna has achieved, students can learn that if you have the courage and
determination, you can take on anything in this world. Hazare is the Gandhi
of our times,” Bornare added.

Apart from teachers, parents also feel that their children should learn
about Hazare. “I ensured that my daughter and her friends watched the TV
coverage of Anna’s fast. They were awed by the scenes, witnessing history
similar to what they have only read in their textbooks,” said Rakesh Tiwari,
a parent.