‘Unfortunate…nothing more painful,’ Nitin Gadkari on Karnataka school textbook

In his address, Gadkari stated, “It is unfortunate that the chapters on Dr. Hedgewar and Swatantra Veer Savarkar have been removed from the school syllabus. There is nothing more painful than this.”

The Karnataka cabinet recently approved the revision of Social Science and Kannada textbooks for classes 6 to 10 in state schools. As part of the revision, chapters on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder KB Hedgewar and Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, among others, were dropped.

Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, on June 15, announced the removal of the chapter on KB Hedgewar from the school syllabus. He clarified that the changes made by the previous government had been reversed, and the syllabus had been reintroduced to its previous state.

The Siddaramaiah government, fulfilling its pre-election promises, held a cabinet meeting to implement revisions in the syllabus of school textbooks. Reports suggest that the Congress-led government removed the chapter from the Class X Kannada textbook, which was introduced during the previous BJP government’s tenure.

Responding to the revisions, Bangarappa stated, “There are certain issues, and a five-member committee has been formed. Several people who were involved exerted pressure on our Chief Minister for some changes. In the interest of the children, we have made minimal changes. Notifications regarding the revisions will reach schools within a week.”

The decision to remove certain chapters from the textbooks has sparked controversy and raised concerns about the curriculum’s integrity and ideological influences. The issue remains a topic of debate and discussion in educational circles.

Updated: 18 Jun 2023, 08:18 AM IST