Karnataka’s Moral Education Curriculum: Instilling 10 Core Values in Schools

A New Chapter in Education Policy

Karnataka is set to introduce a transformative moral education curriculum for school students beginning the academic year 2025-26. This initiative, announced by School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa during the Belagavi Assembly session in December 2024, is now moving closer to implementation with the finalisation of textbooks. The curriculum is designed to nurture children with strong values, civic responsibility, and emotional intelligence, ensuring they are prepared for the challenges of modern society.

The Structure of the Programme

The moral education curriculum will be introduced for Grades 1 to 10 across government schools in Karnataka. Approximately 49,000 government schools and over 49 lakh children will benefit from this policy shift. The initiative aims to go beyond academics by embedding values in children’s daily lives through activities, storytelling, and experiential learning.

The curriculum focuses on 10 core values that remain constant across all age groups. However, the way these values are taught will vary depending on the child’s age, maturity level, and grade. Subtexts, case studies, and examples will evolve as students progress, ensuring that the learning remains age-appropriate and engaging.

The 10 Core Values at the Heart of the Curriculum

The new curriculum emphasises a holistic mix of personal, social, and civic values. The 10 core areas covered include:

1. Empathy and Compassion – Understanding and sharing the feelings of others, encouraging kindness and respect.
2. Climate Consciousness – Awareness about the environment and sustainable living practices.
3. Disability Inclusion – Fostering acceptance, equality, and support for differently-abled individuals.
4. Digital Safety and Cyberbullying Prevention – Teaching children how to stay safe online and handle issues like trolling or cyber harassment.
5. Understanding Gender and Promoting Equality – Raising awareness about gender diversity, gender-based violence, and neutrality.
6. Emotional Intelligence – Developing self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy as essential life skills.
7. Civic Responsibility – Instilling respect for public spaces, volunteering, and preparing students for democratic participation.
8. Scientific Temper and Innovation – Encouraging inquiry, creativity, experimentation, and problem-solving.
9. Honesty, Integrity, and Respect – Reinforcing timeless values essential for strong character building.
10. Reading and Lifelong Learning – Cultivating reading habits and a non-judgmental, growth-oriented attitude.

How the Values Will Be Taught

The curriculum will not be restricted to rote learning or textbooks. Instead, it will be delivered through activities, stories, and real-life examples. For instance:

• In Classes 1 and 2, students will be introduced to body safety, personal space, and boundaries in simple, relatable ways.
• For Grades 3 to 5, the focus expands to road safety and food safety, teaching children how to take care of themselves and others in public spaces.
• In higher classes, students will grapple with more complex issues such as financial literacy, digital safety, and cyberbullying prevention.

This gradual layering of concepts ensures children grow up with a strong foundation of safety, empathy, and civic sense.

Emotional Intelligence and Self-Regulation

A key highlight of the programme is its emphasis on emotional intelligence. At a young age, children will be taught to identify their own feelings and emotions, such as happiness, sadness, or anger. As they grow older, the curriculum shifts towards teaching self-regulation—helping students manage anger, fear, or stress in healthy ways. This structured approach to emotional learning is expected to improve mental well-being and resilience among students.

Gender Awareness and Equality

The curriculum also introduces gender concepts in a progressive manner. While younger students will learn about fairness and equality, older students will be exposed to deeper discussions on gender-based violence, gender neutrality, and inclusion. By creating an open and respectful environment, the programme aims to challenge stereotypes and promote equality across genders.

Encouraging Scientific Temper and Innovation

Alongside moral and emotional values, the curriculum nurtures scientific curiosity. Students will be encouraged to question, explore, and innovate, moving beyond traditional textbook learning. By integrating creative thinking and experimentation, the programme aligns with India’s larger goal of fostering critical thinkers and innovators for the future.

Civic Responsibility and Community Awareness

Civic sense will form another integral part of moral education. From simple lessons like taking care of public property and helping at home, to more advanced concepts such as voting awareness and volunteering, children will be guided to become responsible citizens. These lessons are expected to strengthen social cohesion and community participation.

Building Habits for Life

In addition to structured values, the curriculum aims to inculcate simple yet impactful habits. Reading, for instance, will be promoted as a lifelong skill. Similarly, students will be taught to practice honesty, integrity, and humility, including the courage to admit mistakes and adopt a non-judgemental approach in daily life.

Implementation and Future Plans

The Department of School Education and Literacy has confirmed that the programme is nearly ready for rollout. With textbooks prepared and final touches being made, the initiative will begin reaching classrooms in the coming academic year. Given the scale—covering lakhs of students and thousands of schools—this could become one of the largest value-based education programmes in India.

Conclusion: Preparing Students for the Future

Karnataka’s moral education initiative represents a bold and necessary step in modern schooling. By combining empathy, inclusion, climate awareness, digital safety, and emotional well-being, the programme ensures students are not only academically competent but also socially responsible and emotionally intelligent individuals.

As the state prepares to roll out this curriculum, it sets a benchmark for other regions in India to follow. If implemented effectively, Karnataka could lead the way in creating a generation of students equipped not just with knowledge but with the values and resilience needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.