Batra said the Kothari Education Commission had also argued that books which inculcate values of patriotism and social consciousness should be prescribed.
School textbooks in Haryana are set to be reviewed. RSS ideologue Dinanath Batra, patron of the Guidance Board and Education Advisory Committee set up recently by the state government, said after taking charge that he would constitute a panel to review all textbooks to ascertain whether these have elements of patriotism, social consciousness and healthcare.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Batra noted there were two kinds of books prescribed in schools in Haryana. “The first, those by the NCERT. Hindi books of the NCERT are the worst. Cuss words have been used in the text. There is a need to have books that teach some values. And the second, the books prescribed by the schools run by the Haryana Education Board. These will be reviewed by a committee that I will constitute once I take over,” he said.
Batra said the Kothari Education Commission had also argued that books which inculcate values of patriotism and social consciousness should be prescribed. The books in schools run by the Haryana Education Board which do not have these elements will be changed, the RSS ideologue said.
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The books authored by Batra that have been prescribed in the schools in Gujarat have run into controversies over the content. In one of the books, he had written against the celebration of birthdays by blowing candles, terming it a western concept. In another book, he has mentioned that the map of India should show “undivided India”.
Talking about the Haryana government’s proposal to introduce teaching of Gita in schools, Batra said: “Haryana is the land of Gita. Introduction of Gita in classrooms needs to be done as per the grasping power of the students of different age groups. For small students, it is through pictures that the message can be conveyed. As the age group progresses, use of stories and poems explaining a particular chapter of Gita can be introduced.”
For the students, Batra said: “There are five aspects that need to be taken care of. The students should exercise regularly. They should be taught proper eating habits. Yoga and pranayam should be taught to them. The students should be taught songs and told stories that inculcate moral values. There should be activities for development of their intelligence.”
The RSS ideologue further said the value of serving others should be inculcated in the children. Every school should adopt a slum area or a village and work for its development, he suggested.
Outlining his vision for reforming the education system in Haryana, he said: “Two things need to be taken care of: vistaar and vikas – expansion and development. The areas where more schools are required need to be identified. These include the villages and backward areas. Adequate infrastructure need to be in place. There should be 20×20 sqfeet rooms and proper seating arrangement. A masterplan for expansion would be prepared.”
Batra said the methods of teaching were also needed to be changed and a conversational system of teaching should be adopted. For this, regular training of teachers should be held, which would be organised at the end of every month. During vacation, seven to 15 days long camps could be organised, he suggested, as he pitched for a better student-teacher ratio in Haryana.
He also said there was a need to amend the Right to Education Act. “There is a need for universalisation of education. But since the RTE Act has been implemented, there is indiscipline in schools. Teachers cannot say anything to the students even if they do not attend classes. Students cannot be failed till class VIII. Teachers of Class IX realise that the students do not know anything. This leads to discord with teachers of junior classes.’’
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