Thiruvananthapuram: Schoolchildren in the State are now equipped to receive a daily lesson in compassion.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has directed project officers to include People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) humane education programme- Compassionate Citizen-in the teacher-training module.
PETA India has distributed the programme to all Government schools to use with children ages 8 to 12.
Compassionate Citizen is India version of internationally recognised Share the World, designed to teach children to be kind to animals. It has been endorsed by the Animal Welfare Board of India and the Central Board of Secondary Education.
"It's said that when you teach a child to be kind to a mouse, you do as much for the child as you do for the mouse", says PETA India senior education coordinator Puja Mahajan.
"Respect and compassion are vital to reduce violence in society at large."
Most children naturally feel concern and affection for animals but learn cruelty from society and often lose sight of their compassion. A lack of respect for other species can translate into insensitivity and cruelty towards fellow humans, too.
It is well documented by psychologists, sociologists and law-enforcement officials that violence against animals by children is often an early warning sign of future acts of violence towards humans. Humane education can help ensure a future in which animals, the environment they live in and humans are treated respectfully.
The programme consists of a teacher's guide, reproducible activity sheets, a reading unit with true animal stories and a 28-minute video.
It can easily be included in school curricula and all subjects, including languages, science, social studies, environmental science and values education. It's also great to use in eco and animal rights clubs.
Compassionate Citizen has been voluntarily used in nearly 25,000 private and government schools, reaching 5 million children across India, and is strongly endorsed by numerous celebrities and other notables.
Schools can directly write to PETA at Info@compassionatecitizen.org for their free Compassionate Citizen kit. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com
