The recent revisions in Karnataka’s school textbooks have stirred controversy, with allegations that the changes are politically motivated rather than being focused on benefiting students. Critics argue that the Congress government is merely undoing portions added by the previous government, raising questions about the true intentions behind the extensive revisions.
The replacement of specific lessons, such as the substitution of ‘Nijavada Adarsha Purusha Yaragabeku’ by RSS founder Hedgewar with ‘Sukumara Swamiya Kathe’ by Shivakotyacharya, and the removal of a prose by pro-Hindu activist Chakravarthy Sulibele without any replacement, have fueled allegations of bias and selective editing.
Revisions reflect the Congress party’s promise to revert the changes made by the previous BJP government. This raises concerns about whether the alterations are driven by genuine educational considerations or by political motivations aimed at dismantling the work of the previous administration.
The inclusion of new chapters in social studies textbooks, such as ‘Vedic Culture,’ ‘Rise of New Religions,’ ‘Human Rights,’ ‘Women Social Reformers,’ and ‘Women Freedom Fighters,’ has also drawn scrutiny. While proponents argue that these additions provide a comprehensive understanding of historical and social perspectives, critics view them as a deliberate attempt to promote certain ideological narratives.
Moreover, the removal of sentences that allegedly portrayed regionalism and linguistic pride as narrow-mindedness in comparison to nationalism has ignited further debate. Opponents argue that these omissions cater to a political agenda and undermine the importance of national unity and identity.
Below are the main changes that have been implemented as part of the Karnataka textbook revision exercise:
- A significant change in the Class 10 Kannada textbook involves the replacement of the lesson ‘Nijavada Adarsha Purusha Yaragabeku’ by RSS founder Hedgewar with ‘Sukumara Swamiya Kathe’ by Shivakotyacharya.
- Additionally, ‘Kalavannu Geddavaru’ by KT Gatti on VD Savarkar has been substituted with ‘Blood Group’ by Vijayamala Ranganath in the Class 8 Kannada textbook.
- Furthermore, the play ‘Bhoo Kailasa’ by Parampalli Narasimha Aithal has been replaced with ‘Magalige Bareda Patra,’ which is a translation of Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter to Indira Gandhi, in the Class 8 Kannada textbook.
- Another change involves replacing Dr R Ganesh’s ‘Shreshta Bharatiya Chintanegalu’ with Sara Aboobacker’s ‘Yudha’ in the Class 10 Kannada textbook.
- In the Class 10 Kannada textbook, a prose by pro-Hindu activist Chakravarthy Sulibele titled ‘Taayi Bharatiya Amara Putraru’ has been removed without a replacement.
- Within the field of social studies, the Congress government has introduced several new chapters in the Class 6 textbook. These additions include ‘Vedic Culture,’ ‘Rise of New Religions,’ ‘Human Rights,’ ‘Women Social Reformers,’ and ‘Women Freedom Fighters.’ The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of diverse historical and social perspectives.
- Additionally, changes have been made in the Class 10 social studies textbook to address linguistic pride. Sentences that previously conveyed regionalism and linguistic pride as narrow-mindedness in comparison to nationalism have been eliminated from the chapter “Bharathakke iruva Savalugalu matthe Pariharagalu” (The challenges and solutions that lay ahead of India).
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