Today is Constitution Day: Why constitutional literacy is essential for school students’

India is a land of varied cultures, religions, and languages. Our Constitution teaches us to cherish unity in diversity, accept differences, and treat all individuals with fairness and respect. India proudly holds its head high as the world’s largest democracy, and for this, the credit must go to the strength and vision of its Constitution. Its values, rights, duties, and guiding principles shape our lives as citizens and form the backbone of our nation.

A society remains harmonious and peaceful when people understand their roles, rights, and responsibilities. When students learn constitutional values, they become adults who uphold harmony, respectfully resolve conflicts, and make meaningful contributions to the nation.

Schools thus have a major responsibility to play: equipping the students, who are future citizens of India, with the proper constitutional literacy.

Only then, with adequate awareness, would the students know how the government functions, why laws are made, and why it is important to abide by and respect them. Constitutional education would help them develop some essential values like tolerance, fairness, and respect, which then enables participation in nation-building.

The capability to contribute towards a great nation emanates from the understanding of not just one’s rights but also one’s basic duties. The Constitution encourages every citizen to work towards a dream of a country free from poverty and disease, built on strong social, economic, and political institutions that guarantee justice and a life of dignity for every human being.

Values such as justice, equality, and liberty contribute to the logic and ethical thinking that is nurtured in constitutionalism.

They help students during the decision-making process regarding being responsible in life. It helps students either at school, home, or in society know their rights and be able to defend themselves against injustice and have the courage to fight for what is right.

In addition to knowledge acquisition, the schools have to ensure that students experience how the Constitution works. This they can do through real-life case studies, classroom discussions, role-plays, and mock parliament sessions.

Such interactive experiences help them realize the way in which governance and decision-making processes operate and what is needed for true democratic participation.

Schools nurture constitutional literacy, ensuring the building of informed, responsible, and compassionate citizens who will carry forward the vision of India as a just, inclusive, and progressive nation. The author is Regional Lead Academics, Edunation Services Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad.