BMC schools will introduce a new civic education programme focused on constitutional values and responsible citizenship, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and retired Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai scheduled to teach students at the initiative’s launch in Mumbai on Friday.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Education Department will inaugurate the ‘Sujan Nagrik – Saksham Bharat (Smart Citizen)’ initiative at Mumbai Public School on Bhawani Shankar Road in Dadar West at 3 pm. The event will also include the release of two booklets, ‘Smart Citizen’ and ‘Vidyarthi Prerana’.
According to the civic body, the programme will cover students from Class 1 to Class 10 in municipal schools. It is designed to take civic learning beyond textbook lessons through activities, projects, discussions and interactive sessions. The stated objective is to help students understand constitutional values and apply principles of responsible citizenship in their daily lives.
Fadnavis and Gavai are expected to explain lessons from the two booklets and interact directly with students. The programme will address fundamental duties, equality, fraternity, national integration, democracy, social justice, civic discipline, scientific temper and environmental protection.
The educational material has been prepared according to students’ age groups and classes. The BMC said the content is intended to make civic and constitutional concepts accessible to children rather than treating them only as abstract classroom subjects.
A separate booklet, ‘Vidyarthi Prerana’, has been prepared in Marathi for Class 6 students. It focuses on the life and work of Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, including his contributions to equality, fraternity, justice, liberty, education and the making of the Indian Constitution.
The booklet was prepared with guidance from education, constitutional and legal experts, along with scholars of Ambedkar’s writings. The contributors named in the report include Ramesh Pathange, Dr Narendra Jadhav, Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, Premanand Gajvi, Professor Mrudul Nile, Professor Sandeep Gamre, Professor Vinod Mhaske and Vijay Mohite.
The BMC plans to conduct an examination based on the booklet in Marathi in January 2027. Certificates are scheduled to be awarded to participating students in April 2027, extending the initiative beyond the launch event into a formal learning and assessment process.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner for Education Dr Prachi Jambhekar said the programme aims to nurture equality, justice, fraternity and social responsibility from an early age. The initiative is being implemented in line with the chief minister’s vision and under the guidance of MLA Amit Satam.
Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, state ministers Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Ashish Shelar and Dadaji Bhuse, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, MP Anil Desai, several MLAs and BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide are among those expected to attend the launch.
The Friday event will mark the formal beginning of the BMC’s planned civic education programme, with the January 2027 examination and April 2027 certificate distribution identified as its next major milestones.
