Last month, a debate erupted over the textbook revisions in Karnataka state’s official curriculum. Rohith Chakratirtha, the head of the review committee, to be fired. The new curiculum, in keeping with saffronisation of education, saw RSS and KB Hedgewar being valorized.
The school textbooks were examined and revised by a commission led by Chakrathirtha. In Karnataka, the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC) group’s Convention signed an appeal against textbook distortion.
Criticism against the textbook revisions:
Former Advocate General Ravivarma Kumar at a convention held against the distortion of school textbooks in Karnataka questioned as to why RSS was included in the textbooks.
“RSS did not fight for the country’s freedom, and Hedgewar was not a freedom fighter, so why have they included him in the textbooks now?” he asked.
He criticised the recent revisions made in the Karnataka textbooks, saying that they are plagued with factual mistakes and historical misinterpretations.
“Are the commands coming from Keshava Krupa (RSS Karnataka State headquarters) or Vidhan Soudha?Without any transparency or consultation, the modifications are being implemented.” he said.
According to Dr VP Niranjan Aradhya, a major developmental educationist in Karnataka, the alterations made to textbooks are unlawful, opaque, and scent of dictatorial mindset. He was speaking at an AISEC conference protesting modifications to school texts.
Murigeppa, Retired VC of Hampi University said “These all regressive changes in the textbook are also part of Central governments of NEP-2020. So, our fight should also be against NEP-2020.”
In rewritten textbooks, the Indus Valley civilisation has been renamed Sindhu Saraswathi Civilisation. Historians have never agreed with this view. The subcontinent of India is also called ‘Bharathavarsha’ in new textbooks, which is illogical and unsound, he noted.
Historians Romila Thapar, Prof Ram Punyani, Prof Kumkum Roy, Prof Ashok Shetter, Prof Aditya Mukerjee, Prof Sumith Sarkar, Tanika Sarkar, Prof Jawahar Nesan, and well-known writer Hampa Nagarajayya all wrote messages opposing textbook distortions to this conference.
