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A New Chapter in Education
In recent months, Operation Sindoor has moved from the battlefield into the classroom. What began as a decisive military mission has now entered the curriculum of schools, colleges, and even madrasas. Rajasthan’s education department has already announced its intent to integrate Operation Sindoor into school and college syllabi, explicitly linking the initiative to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s emphasis on cultivating patriotism and respect for the armed forces. In Uttarakhand, the Madrasa Board has taken the historic step of including Operation Sindoor in its instructional material, describing it as an “epic” that students of all communities should study.
Patriotism as Pedagogy
Operation Sindoor is not merely a military manoeuvre. As Dr. Sandeep Bakshi, Chancellor of Jaipur National University, has observed, it is “a decisive mission grounded in justice, strategic clarity, and national dignity.” For students, this message matters profoundly. True patriotism is not about empty slogans. It is about cultivating the capacity to “stand for peace with strength, and for justice with resolve.”
Teaching Operation Sindoor in classrooms means exposing students to the realities of strategy, sacrifice, and sovereignty. It moves patriotism from the parade ground into the lecture hall, asking young minds to wrestle with the ethical dimensions of war, the cost of peace, and the meaning of dharma in national life.
The University Question
The question now arises: will the next step be Operation Sindoor in universities? Prof. Yogesh Singh, Honourable Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi, has been unequivocal. In an interview to ANI dated 17 June 2025, he stated: “Operation Sindoor should be discussed in universities, and seminar and workshops should be held. The reason is very simple: there are issues of strategies, there are issues of military operations, patriotism, all should be discussed so that our students know about Operation Sindoor.”
This is not a call for militarisation of academia, but for its moral awakening. Universities cannot confine themselves to producing technocrats. They must also shape citizens who understand the meaning of sovereignty, the price of freedom, and the responsibilities of belonging to Bharat.
NEP 2020 and the Civilisational Mandate
The National Education Policy 2020 has already made clear that education in India must be holistic. It is not enough to impart information; institutions must cultivate values, ethics, and national rootedness. Including Operation Sindoor in curricula is a natural extension of this policy.
The effort underway in Rajasthan explicitly cites NEP 2020’s mandate to “awaken a sense of patriotism and respect for the nation and its armed forces.” This alignment shows that patriotism is not an extracurricular add-on; it is integral to the vision of education for Viksit Bharat 2047.
A Call to Institutions
If NCERT has taken the first step for schools, the baton now passes to higher education bodies. UGC, AICTE, NCERT’s Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs), and leading universities must take the initiative to introduce Value Added Courses (VACs) on Operation Sindoor. These courses can explore the mission from multiple angles:
- Strategic Studies: analysing the planning and execution of counter-terror operations.
- Political Science: understanding statecraft and national security policy.
- Philosophy and Ethics: interrogating the dharmic dimensions of justice and restraint in war.
- Literature and Memory: exploring how narratives like Operation Sindoor shape national identity.
Such courses would not only fulfil NEP’s mandate but also prepare a generation of students who can combine professional skills with civic responsibility.
Beyond Classrooms: Competitions and Conversations
Already, the Ministry of Defence and MyGov have organised a national essay competition on Operation Sindoor: Redefining India’s Policy Against Terrorism, as part of Independence Day 2025 celebrations. This shows that the government envisions Operation Sindoor not merely as a historical episode but as a pedagogical tool for shaping thought.
Workshops, debates, and seminars in universities could expand this further, creating a space where students critically engage with the meaning of patriotism in contemporary India. Far from rote learning, such platforms would encourage reflective citizenship.
From Classrooms to Campuses
What we are witnessing is the slow but certain broadening of patriotic pedagogy. From NCERT textbooks to Rajasthan’s colleges, from Uttarakhand’s madrasas to national essay competitions, Operation Sindoor is emerging as a shared narrative across India’s diverse educational spaces.
Universities are the next frontier. If schools awaken a sense of belonging, universities must refine it into civic maturity. If classrooms teach the story, campuses must debate its meaning. Patriotism cannot remain confined to adolescence; it must mature into adulthood through higher education.
Memory as Mission
Operation Sindoor is more than a military strike; it is a civilisational moment. By placing it in classrooms and campuses, India affirms that patriotism is not peripheral but central to education. As Dr. Bakshi has noted, it is about justice and dignity. As Prof. Singh has urged, it must be discussed in universities. As Rajasthan and Uttarakhand have shown, it can be integrated into curricula across institutions.
The task before us is clear. UGC, AICTE, RIE, and leading universities must rise to the call and create structured spaces, seminars, research projects, where Operation Sindoor becomes not only a story remembered but a pedagogy practiced.
For in the end, education is not only about employability. It is about identity. When the soldier salutes the flag at the border, and the student salutes it in the classroom, a thread of continuity is woven. That thread is called dharma. That pedagogy is called patriotism. And that vision is called Bharat.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.