The Congress government which has taken up the controversial textbook revision exercise has declared that the lesson on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar has been dropped from the textbooks. At the same time, it stated that the lesson on the letter written by former PM late Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter Indira Gandhi has been added.
The move is likely to trigger a huge controversy in the state as the BJP has stated that it won’t sit quietly if the syllabus is changed. Minister for Education Madhu Bangarappa speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting stated that whatever changes the BJP government had made have been dropped from the syllabus.
He did not answer a question on whether the lesson on Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan had been added. The lessons on Hedgewar, Veer Savarkar (BJP’s iconic freedom fighter) have been dropped, he added.
“In the interest of children whatever is necessary we have made changes in Kannada text books from the sixth to the tenth standard and also the social science books from the sixth to the tenth standard,” Bangarappa stated.
He said the textbooks would be available to the students in six to ten days.
The syllabus which was there before the revision by the BJP government would be retained, he said.
Some parts were removed by the BJP government on individual preferences. Right winger Chakravarthy Sulibele’s text has been removed and lessons on Savithri Bai Phule, a poem on Dr B.R. Ambedkar which was removed by the BJP, would be retained, Bangarappa stated.
The government has decided to issue supplementary books as soon as possible. Until then, the teachers won’t touch the chapters, he said. A five-member committee was formed after the meeting of litterateurs with the chief minister. The committee had Ravish Kumar, Prof. T.R. Chandrashekar, Dr. Ashwath Narayan and Rajesh, he informed.
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