Karnataka Congress releases revised textbooks corrigendum
The Congress, in its poll manifesto ahead of this year’s assembly elections, promised to reverse such changes made to textbooks during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime
The Karnataka Text Books Society (KTBS) has published 140 pages of revised school textbooks corrigendum of the Social Science and Kannada textbooks for classes 6 to 10 in state schools.
According to the corrigendum, the revisions were made to Kannada first and second language for classes 6 to 10 and Social Science textbooks for classes 6, 7 and 10 in Kannada and English language.
“The corrections suggested by the subject experts were consolidated subject-wise in Kannada and English, printed in corrigendum form and supplied one to each school. These changes are available on the departmental website (www.ktbs.kar.nic.in),” KTBS said in a statement.
“Teachers have been instructed to ensure that students of all mediums make changes in the textbooks supplied in the year 2023-24 as per this circular. Accordingly, teachers of all mediums have been asked to adopt and follow the suggested changes in teaching, learning and evaluation,” it added.
The Congress, in its poll manifesto ahead of this year’s assembly elections, promised to reverse such changes made to textbooks during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime. The Congress government had appointed a School Textbooks Review Committee headed by Baraguru Ramachandrappa to look into the changes made in textbooks during the previous BJP regime.
Last month, the Karnataka cabinet approved the revision of Social Science and Kannada textbooks for classes 6 to 10 in state schools. Some of the key omissions include chapters on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder KB Hedgewar, Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, right-wing ideologue Chakravarthy Sulibele, Sanskrit and Kannada scholar Bannanje Govindacharya.
Meanwhile, chapters on educationist Savitribai Phule, India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter to his daughter Indira Gandhi, and a poem on BR Ambedkar, which were removed last year, were restored. The government will also make it mandatory for all schools to hold a reading of the ‘Preamble to the Constitution’.
Last year, the Textbook Revision Committee, headed by Rohith Chakrathirtha, drew flak from writers, academics, religious leaders and Opposition parties, who accused the government-appointed panel of attempting to “saffronise” the curriculum by dropping works of social reformers and progressive thinkers.
Among the objections raised included the omission of chapters on social reformer Narayana Guru, freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, and works of progressive writers such as Sara Aboobacker and P Lankesh. Meanwhile, chapters on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder KB Hedgewar, and works of right-wing ideologues such as Chakravarti Sulibele, Govinda Pai and Bannanje Govindacharya, among others, were included.
Objections were also raised over omissions and commissions in chapters relating to religious icons such as 12th-century social reformer Basavanna, and personalities such as Ambedkar. Some noted writers, including Devanur Mahadev, G Ramakrishna and SG Siddaramaiah, had withdrawn permission for the use of their works in the textbooks in protest.
