Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, State Education Minister-Karnataka
Reacting to the allegations on Saffronisation of textbooks in Karnataka, Prof GS Mudambadithaya, coordinator, NCF Curriculum revision and textbook preparation, said: “Those who are protesting have not seen the final version of the draft. If they had, all these problems could have been avoided. I am not a BJP man. I do not belong to any party. I am an educationist working for 55 years in the field. The content is prepared by teachers from all parts of the state, belonging to various communities. The book is reviewed at four different levels. Over 500 teachers go over it including a committee of 35 experts appointed by the government. We have included 90% of their suggestions.”
BANGALORE: Notwithstanding the controversy over alleged saffronisation of class 5 and 8 Social Science textbooks, the Department of State Education Research and Training (DSERT) has gone ahead with the printing of the textbooks.
“The textbooks have already gone for print. The orders for 300 titles and 5 crore books have been given. We have called for a meeting with the Pathya Pusthaka Rachana Samiti, where we will justify the details given in the book,” HS Rama Rao, MD, DSERT, said.
Minister for primary and secondary educationVishweshwar Hegde Kageri while confirming that the printing process is on, said the books will not be withdrawn. “An expert committee has prepared the textbook. It’s completely based on the National Curriculum Framework.”
It’s after 15 years that textbooks are being reviewed in the state. The Social Science textbooks of Classes 5 and 8, that will be introduced in classes starting next year, were embroiled in controversy as different groups, including some prominent litterateurs, raised concern over some “deliberate omissions and additions, use of certain words, using matters out of context and tweaking of facts”.
People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) has given a memorandum to the CM seeking withholding of the textbooks alleging that the syllabus was planned by the government at a national level and BJP was now tweaking it.
Reacting to the allegations, GS Mudambadithaya, coordinator, NCF Curriculum revision and textbook preparation, said: “Those who are protesting have not seen the final version of the draft. If they had, all these problems could have been avoided. I am not a BJP man. I do not belong to any party. I am an educationist working for 55 years in the field. The content is prepared by teachers from all parts of the state, belonging to various communities. The book is reviewed at four different levels. Over 500 teachers go over it including a committee of 35 experts appointed by the government. We have included 90% of their suggestions.”
This syllabus of the textbook has been framed when Congress was in power in 2006-’07. It was sent to the government for approval in 2008.
(TOI)
