Saudi Arabia's latest curriculum to introduce Ramayana, Mahabharata

A tweet about Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman's latest vision for the education sector has gone viral.

The history and culture of other countries are being studied as part of Prince Mohammed bin Salman's new vision for the education sector in Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030, to provide students with more information about different cultures.

According to reports, students will be taught the Ramayana and Mahabharata as part of this. It is reported the study will concentrate on globally relevant Indian cultures such as yoga and Ayurveda in order to broaden students' cultural awareness and exposure.

Apart from the inclusion of the Ramayana and Mahabharata in Saudi Arabian students' curricula, the current Vision 2030 mandates the study of English.

Nouf Almarwaai's tweet included screenshots of his son's social studies test, which included questions about Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Ramayana and Mahabharata, two Hindu epics. “Saudi Arabia's latest #vision2030 and curriculum will aid in the development of a peaceful, moderate, and tolerant generation. My son's Social Studies exam today included definitions and history of Hinduism, Buddhism, Ramayana, Karma, and Mahabharata Dharma. I enjoyed assisting him with his studies,” the tweet, with the screenshots of the question paper, read.

As per media reports, other significant elements of Indian culture, such as yoga and Ayurveda, will be included in the school curriculum as part of the Saudi Prince's Vision 2030, in addition to the Ramayana and Mahabharata. According to the news, the English language has also been made obligatory under the new vision.

On April 15, Nouf, the first accredited yoga teacher in Saudi Arabia and a Padma Shri awardee tweeted about the new curriculum. Since then, the tweet has been making the rounds on social media sites in response to the Islamic state's curriculum diversity.