In a first-ever attempt to get the children connected again with farming and sustainability, the Maharashtra government has decided to make agriculture a school subject up to Class 10 in a phased manner from the 2025-26 academic year.
The State Curriculum Framework 2024 and the National Education Policy 2020 both state that the program's goal is to close the knowledge gap between new innovations and old agricultural expertise. The curriculum is being developed in collaboration with the School Education Department and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
For Classes 1 to 5, students will study basics of plants, animals, local produce, water, soil, and exposure to creative innovation. For Classes 6 to 10, syllabus will extend beyond this to include kitchen gardening, organic farming, millet farming, food processing, exploitation of bamboo, poultry management, water auditing, and maintaining biodiversity registers.
Current agricultural practices are being integrated as well, including use of AI in agriculture, agri-tourism, smokeless cooking, and sustainable farming, thus exposing students to traditional as well as fussy new methods.
The main objectives of the program are to:
Encourage early exposure to agriculture among school-going kids.
Bridge the difference between traditional practices and new-age developments in agriculture.
Put forth agriculture as a viable career path, supporting India's food security and sustainability initiative.
The government also guaranteed improvement in teacher training courses and practice facilities to facilitate successful implementation. The authorities believe that with this program, students' awareness of agriculture will not only be enhanced but also vocational abilities and career-based knowledge imparted to them so agriculture would be a desirable and relevant subject to the generation to come.
Education officials have approved the step, citing that exposing children to agricultural ideas at an early age can promote responsibility, creativity, and respect for sustainable methods among children.
