Nehruvian thoughts will dominate revised curricula in Congress states

Jawaharlal Nehru is all set to make a comeback in a big way in the curricula of government-run schools in the Congress-ruled states of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Congress outperformed the Bharatiya Janata Party in these three states in the recently held Assembly elections. While accusing the erstwhile BJP governments of promoting “saffronisation of school syllabus”, the Congress governments in these three states have ordered the formation of curricula review committees to ensure the redesigning and rewriting of the new syllabi for government-run schools.

According to sources, while teachers and students are in a fix over the imminent changes in the textbooks, the work of rewriting the syllabi is progressing at full speed and will be implemented from the next academic session. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has made it clear to his Education Minister, Premsain Singh Tikam that the process of redesigning and rewriting of textbooks will have to be completed as soon as possible. Baghel has ordered the cutting down of Vedic inspired teachings from school textbooks and increase so called “modern reasoning and rationalbased scientific content” in the school syllabus, a source close to the education ministry of Chhattisgarh told The Sunday Guardian.

“After getting directions from the Chief Minister, the education ministry has already initiated the process of formation of a team which can help in the redesigning and rewriting of textbooks,” the same source cited earlier said.

Vidya Bharati—a chain of schools being run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—IS on the hitlist of the Congress government, the source said. Vidya Bharati has its own curriculum which gives more importance to Vedic teachings, but the Congress govern-