Karnataka forms new textbook revision panel, gives it three months to revise curriculum

Last year, when the BJP was in power, textbook revision came under criticism following the appointment of Rohit Chakrathirtha, a right-wing ideologue, as the chairman of the revision committee. The Congress had accused the government of saffronising textbooks with inclusion of lessons on RSS founder KB Hedgewar and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and works of right-wing activists like Chakravarthy Sulibele.

The primary mandate of the 37-member committee is to provide educational guidance and advice to the government regarding the revision of textbooks in the aforementioned subjects and classes. The order also suggests that a monthly honorarium and other facilities be provided to the chief coordinator and other members of the committee, which will be in effect for the next three months.

Dr Hegde from Uttara Kannada district is the chief coordinator of the committee under whom there are five subject-wise textbook revision committees.

Dr Anjanappa, Kannada professor at Tunga Mahavidyalaya, Shivamogga is the president of the first language Kannada textbook revision committee, which has 10 members.

Dr HS Sathyanarayan, Kannada lecturer at Government Girls PU College, Chikkamagaluru is the president of second language Kannada textbook revision committee which includes 10 members.

Dr Manjanna, lecturer at Government Women’s First Degree College, Davangere is the president of third language Kannada textbook revision committee consisting of four members.

Dr Kiran, M, assistant professor at Central University of Gulbarga, is the president of the social science textbook revision committee for classes 6 and 7, which has seven members.

Dr Ashwathnarayan, retired history professor of Bangalore University, is the president of the social science textbook revision committee for classes 8, 9 and 10. This panel has 10 members.

One of the major criticisms the BJP faced last year was the exclusion of minorities in the committee headed by Chakrathirtha. This year, the Congress government has appointed three Muslims in its committee. Waseem Anwar, assistant teacher at Karnataka Public School in Tumkur, is one of the members of the social science textbook revision committee for classes 6 and 7. Tabbasum Fathima, assistant teacher at Government Urdu High School in Ramanagara, and Shaheena Alampura, assistant teacher at Government High School in Bengaluru Rural, are members of the social science textbook revision committee for classes 8, 9 and 10.

Earlier this year, the Congress government had ordered 18 changes in the Kannada and Social Science subjects from classes 6 to 10. It had dropped a class 10 lesson on Hedgewar, ‘Who Should Be an Ideal Man’, and replaced it with ‘Story of Sukumara Swami’ authored by Shivakotacharya (Kannada language).

The Congress has also reintroduced Letters from a Father to His Daughter by Jawaharlal Nehru, translated into Kannada by Siddanahalli Krishna Sharma, in class 8 . The BJP had earlier dropped this lesson and introduced BhooKailasa by Parampalli Narasimha Aithal, which is now axed.