Children recommend lessons on safe touch, life skills and AI in revamped Tamil Nadu school curriculum

Children from various districts across Tamil Nadu put forth feedback on Sunday (February 1, 2026) in Chennai regarding the new curriculum that is being designed by the School Education department.

From lessons on laws related to children and safe touch to curiosity-inducing exercises, children compiled their recommendations on the curriculum to submit to the Curriculum Design Committee.

At a State-Level Children’s Consultation on formulating recommendations to the State school Curriculum Design Committee, children deliberated on the curriculum they envision for two days. The consultation was organised by the Forum for Promotion of Child Participation (FPCP) in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and the Federation of Children’s Movements for Right to Participation (FCMRP) in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Over 20 children from various districts such as Madurai, Nagappatinam, Kancheepuram, Chengalpettu among others participated. “The first day we learnt about the history of curriculum designing. We learnt about its importance and how it is usually formulated. The second day we deliberated on the kind of lessons that are required in our education and how we want it taught,” said L. Yuvarani, a Class 12 student and deputy treasurer FCMRP.

The children wanted lessons on leaders from Tamil Nadu, history of tourist destinations, life skills, better focus on reading, writing and comprehension skills among others. “We also want more illustrated textbooks, lessons on artificial intelligence, historical anecdotes and exercises that would induce curiosity,” she added.

Further, they also stressed on the need for proper guidance and awareness on the kind of subjects and domains available in each stream for Class 11 and 12. “These classes in Class 9 and 10 will help us make an informed choice regarding our career and the kind of streams to pursue our higher education,” said Yuvarani.

In Class 1-5, the children pointed out that chapters on safe touch needed to be included in every subject. Lessons on personal boundaries to interacting with people needed to be included, they added.