TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Five-time undisputed world boxing champion and Olympic medalist Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom has written a letter to the State Education Minister who is also the Chief minister asking that PETA’s humane-education programme, Compassionate Citizen, be incorporated in the official school curriculum here for children of ages between 8 to 12.
In the letter sent on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, Kom points out that violence against animals by children is often an early sign of future acts of violence against humans.
“One of the best ways to knock out cruelty to animals is to teach compassion to young people,” Kom writes. “Animals need us in their corner. With violence seemingly all around us, it is more important than ever that we teach lessons of respect and kindness in the classroom.”
Compassionate citizen has been voluntarily used in more than 15,000 private and government schools and has reached more than 3 million children across India. Recently, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a notification to CBSE schools asking them to use it as part of their curriculum. The Animal Welfare Board of India ~a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests has also asked the state and union territory education ministers to incorporate Compassionate Citizen into their official curriculum.
