RSS icon, Ambedkar to be part of MBBS course

Medical students in Madhya Pradesh will now be taught about RSS founder KB Hedgewar, Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaya, Swami Vivekananda and BR Ambedkar as part of the first-year foundation course, state education minister Vishwas Sarang said on Sunday. The next academic session for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) students is likely to start from 2021-22.

“I have asked to add this in the foundation course as we don’t want to just teach the students expert knowledge about a subject. We want to make them responsible citizens. We will educate them about the Indian tradition and ideology through the life and deeds of famous personalities,” Sarang said.

An official familiar with the matter said the addition was made on the basis of the recommendations made by a five-member committee of the medical education department. “We have not made any changes in the topics of medical education programme 2019 of National Medical Commission... We have included it to inspire the

BHOPAL:

VISHWAS SARANG,

MP education minister

future doctors and motivate them to work hard,” said the official.

The additional lectures are likely to be clubbed in the topic of medical ethics in the foundation course, added the official.

Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a surgeon, founded the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh in Nagpur in 1925. Deendayal Upadhyaya was one of the prominent leaders of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh.

Hailing the leaders, the education minister said: “RSS first chief Hedgewarji, Upadhyayaji, Vivekanandji and BR Ambedkarji were great visionaries and human beings. Their lives were based on values. Their thoughts, conduct, and very personalities are inspiring.”

The medical fraternity, however, expressed concerns over the additions. “If they want the students to motivate by teaching life and deeds of famous personalities, they should teach about good doctors and scientists. They shouldn’t force students to teach about heroes of one particular ideology...,” said Dr Anurag Gupta, state unit chief of the Indian Medical Association (medical students’ network).

The Opposition, too, attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state for “imposing” its ideology on the students. “BJP keeps working to impose its ideology and its particular agenda on the people, whether it is in the field of education or other areas... BJP leaders are deliberately working to distort the history, glorify their leaders and impose their ideology,” said Kamal Nath, the Congress’s state unit chief.

BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said: “It is a very good decision of the state government and before accusing BJP of imposing an ideology, they should at least see the history of Congress of promoting and glorifying only one family.”

We don’t want to just teach students expert knowledge about a subject. We want to make them responsible citizens