Hyderabad: After much delay Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has finally approved the state’s new school curriculum. Many changes had been recommended by the experts’ committee and government advisers in the curriculum for Telugu and social sciences.

Sources close to the Chief Minister said the new curriculum would give special importance to the struggle for Telangana statehood, Telangana culture, language and history.

School education department officials remained tightlipped about the final decision but sources confirmed that the Chief Minister had given his nod to the new syllabus on Thursday. With this, the much delayed printing of textbooks can begin so that it can be supplied to students by June.

Oficials of the school education department and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) made presentations before the Chief Minister about the new syllabus on Thursday.

“The Chief Minister has okayed the changes proposed in the new syllabus. They are in Telugu and social sciences. The new curriculum will teach students about the struggle for Telangana statehood from the very beginning,” a source said.

“It was also felt that the culture, language and history of Telangana should be given importance. Along with that the Chief Minister suggested that students must be taught about the champions of the state’s Backward Classes,” sources added.

Although there were no changes in the syllabus for subjects like math and science, the printing and distribution of textbooks was held up due to the changes in Telugu and social sciences.

An experts’ committee of SCERT had submitted the draft of the new curriculum to the Chief Minister’s Office in January.

But it got stuck there as the Chief Minister could not find time to examine it.