Months after the BJP came to power in West Bengal, a panel formed by the new government has proposed significant additions and deletions in the school curriculum, which will come into effect from January next year.
The panel has proposed to include a synopsis of BJP ideologue Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s life and contributions in all textbooks, and recommended dropping a chapter on the Singur land movement, spearheaded by outgoing chief minister Mamata Banerjee, from the Class VIII textbook.
Prof Debashis Chatterjee, the chairperson of the high-level Syllabus-cum-Curriculum Committee, told The Indian Express, “In all the textbooks, there will be a writing on Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee in the very beginning so that students know about him.”
Previously, the Higher Education Department had ordered state-aided schools, colleges and universities to include the life and contributions of Syama Prasad Mookerjee in the teachings, failing which action would be taken against them.
Chatterjee also said that the committee has proposed to drop a chapter on the Kanyashree scheme, the cash-transfer scheme for girl students, from Class VI textbooks, and the chapter on the Singur land movement from Class VIII syllabus. “The Singur chapter, which was added in the Class VIII textbooks, will be removed; so will the chapter on Kanyashree,” Chatterjee said.
Both were added to the school curriculum by the previous TMC government.
Among the important deletions proposed by the committee are Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Africa” – written by the Nobel laureate in 1937 following the invasion of Ethiopia by Benito Mussolini and critiquing Western imperialism of African nations — and Sachindranath Sengupta’s play “Sirajdoulla” – the historical events surrounding the defeat of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent ruler of Bengal, focusing on the betrayal he faced from close confidants like Mir Jafar and Jagat Seth.
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While ‘Africa’ will be replaced by another Tagore poem, “Shibaji Utsav”, which celebrates Maratha warrior ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji, Sachindranath’s play will be replaced by Dwijendralal Ray’s “Mebar Patan” – highlighting the Mughal invasion of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar in Rajasthan.
“When we are talking of Viksit Bharat, then we need to uphold our values and cultures. So this poem (Shibaji Utsav) is important,” said Chatterjee, justifying the panel’s decision.
He said portions on Communism and Mughals will also be shortened.
“Instead, those who have fought for the freedom of the country will be taught more… Over the years, we have been asked to memorise who built the Taj Mahal and the names of their forefathers and grandchildren. But those who have given their life for the freedom of this country are not mentioned in the history books,” the panel chairperson claimed.
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The proposed overhaul also includes changes to Bengali language textbooks, with Chatterjee saying that several words considered less commonly used in everyday Bengali will be removed or replaced. Chatterjee cited examples such as replacing “pani” with “jol” for water, and changes involving words such as “amma” and “abba”.
Several Bengali and English-language chapters have already been sent to the state government for approval, according to the committee. The remaining portions are expected to be submitted shortly.
West Bengal Education Minister Deepak Burman said the syllabus committee was overseeing the exercise. “The entire thing is being looked after by the syllabus committee. Once it comes to me, I will see,” Burman added.
In July this year, the BJP government, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, constituted the Syllabus-cum-Curriculum Committee to review and recommend major revisions to the curriculum, syllabus, and textbooks for Classes 1 to 12.
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The committee, chaired by Prof Debashis Chatterjee of Kalyani University’s chemistry department, has Arindam Banerjee, administrative officer and ex-officio joint director of School Education, as member secretary. The members of the panel include presidents of the state primary, secondary, and higher secondary education boards, the director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), and subject experts and mentors from universities, colleges, and schools across various disciplines.
