In an effort it claimed was aimed at rectifying alleged distortions in textbooks and promoting a more balanced and inclusive education system, the Karnataka government on Thursday decided to drop a chapter on K. B. Hedgewar, the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), from textbooks for classes 6 to 10.
The chapter was introduced by the erstwhile government of the Bharatiya Janata Party amid much criticism from the Opposition parties as well as a section of the academia.
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Announcing the decision at a press conference today, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Madhu Bangarappa, said all changes introduced by the BJP government in 2022 have been undone.
“Whatever changes they have done last year, we have changed it and reintroduced whatever was there last to last year. In the interest of the children, we have done the least now, only in the Kannada language, from 6th to 10th standard. The Hedgewar chapter (has been) dropped. No major change,” he said.
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The textbook controversy began in 2020 when the then BJP government established a textbook revision committee following complaints about certain chapters or sections in Kannada textbooks. The revisions were made in social science and Kannada language textbooks for various grade levels. However, these changes sparked strong opposition from education experts, progressive thinkers, and the Congress party.
Notable figures like Tipu Sultan, poet Kuvempu, and Basavanna were among those affected by the revisions. In response to these concerns, the Congress party promised to rectify the alleged distortions in its election manifesto.
The minister had earlier announced that the textbooks would be revised, with a focus on providing supplementary materials to guide teachers. He assured that the old textbooks would not be recalled but instead supplemented with additional resources.
The revised textbooks, along with the dropped syllabus on K. B. Hedgewar, are expected to be implemented in the upcoming academic year.
Mandatory reading of Preamble in Karnataka schools, colleges
The second change mandates that the Preamble of the Constitution be read along with the national hymn in schools and colleges across the state. This move, the government said, aims to promote constitutional values and enhance students’ understanding of the guiding principles of the nation.
“The state cabinet has decided to make it compulsory to read the Preamble of the Constitution along with the hymn in schools and colleges,” Karnataka Minister HK Patil said.
These decisions were made a Cabinet meeting, which also discussed the revision of textbooks, held on Thursday.