Stop playing politics with school textbooks

The newly elected Congress government has decided to review the school curriculum. A similar exercise about a year ago had led to charges that the BJP regime then in power had saffronised textbooks. During its previous term in office between 2013 and 2018, the Congress government had appointed a committee under eminent writer Baragur Ramachandrappa to revise textbooks, which in turn set up 27 subject committees with nearly 130 members.

Subsequently, after Basavaraj Bommai became the chief minister in 2019, another committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Rohit Chakrathirtha, a strong right-wing ideologue. While academics questioned his credentials to head such a committee, the then primary and secondary education minister B C Nagesh had said the Chakratirtha panel would only correct certain discrepancies that had crept into the syllabus.

The immediate provocation for setting up the panel was a complaint by the Brahmin community that some passages in the social science textbooks hurt their religious sentiments. The Chakrathirtha committee, however, went beyond its brief and made major changes to the syllabus by including and deleting certain chapters.

Also Read | NCERT textbook revisions and controversies under BJP

While a chapter on RSS founder K B Hedgewar was added, lessons on social reformer Narayana Guru and freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, as well as works by progressive writers, were dropped. Recently, a group of academics and writers submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanding the withdrawal of what they described as anti-Constitutional and communal textbooks which distorted history.

While assuring the delegation of action, Siddaramaiah said the act of polluting children’s minds through textbooks and lessons cannot be accepted.

While distortions should no doubt be corrected, it is unfortunate that students have become pawns in the hands of politicians who seek to further their own agenda through textbooks. It is high time we accepted history in its entirety. The purpose of any revision should be to upgrade the skills of the students. Well-known writer Devanura Mahadeva has suggested the setting up of an autonomous body comprising subject experts to frame the curriculum.

He believes this can prevent recurring controversies whenever there is a change in government. But given how politicians have managed to compromise the functioning of autonomous and independent bodies, it is doubtful if Mahadeva’s suggestion will serve any purpose. Considering that the academic year has already begun, any substantial revision of textbooks should be put off until the next session so that students are not put to any hardship. But above all, students should be insulated from the politics of the day, with independent experts and not politicians deciding what they should or should not study.