Kolkata, July 8, 2020: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said she is “shocked” by the federal government’s decision to drop subjects like democratic rights, federalism and secularism from school syllabus.
These chapters are removed from the Economics and Political Science syllabuses of grades 9 to 12 in all schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education.
Banerjee said she “strongly object(ed)” to the move, which was announced July 7 by the education ministry on account of the “extraordinary situation in India” – a reference to the Covid-19 pandemic that has seen schools shut for over two months.
“Shocked to know that the central government has dropped topics like citizenship, federalism, secularism and partition in the name of reducing CBSE course during the COVID-19 crisis,” Mamata Banerjee tweeted July 8.
“We strongly object to this and appeal to the HRD Ministry, Government of India, to ensure these vital lessons aren’t curtailed at any cost,” the dhief minister said.
On July 7, the central board said it would reduce students’ workload in light of the lockdown. Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said, “It has been decided to rationalize syllabus up to 30 percent by retaining the core concepts.”
This reduction in syllabus will be applicable for the entire 2020-2021 academic year, the government said.
“Core concepts,” it transpired, did not include topics such as “secularism” and “federalism” for grade 11; “environment and natural resources” and “social movements” for grade 12; and “democracy and diversity” and “caste, religion and gender” for grade 10.
Grade 9 students will not be taught from chapters on “democratic rights” and one on “food security.”
Mamata and the federal government have clashed repeatedly over the past months, with the chief minister alleging the stifling of democracy in Bengal and threatening of the spirit of federalism.
In May, Mamata said the federal was trying to bulldoze co-operative federalism by not helping states whose economies had been worst hit by the coronavirus lockdown.
She made a similar attack in April, hitting out at the dispatch of IMCT (inter-ministerial teams) to report on her handling of the COVID-19 crisis. She said: “this might not be consistent with the spirit of federalism”.
BJP president JP Nadda attacked Banerjee over the Covid-19 crisis. “The West Bengal chief minister doesn’t believe in cooperative federalism. She is not keen on sharing Covid data with the centre,” he declared.
Mamata isn’t the only opposition leader to criticize the exclusion of such topics from the syllabus of young Indians who, as Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, are “on the cusp of becoming voters.”
Tharoor tweeted: “One has to doubt the motives of those who selected the topics to drop. Have they decided democracy, diversity, secularism and “the like are more dispensable concepts for tomorrow’s Indian citizens?”
Tharoor’s party colleague, Jairam Ramesh, wrote: “What else to expect from a regime headed by someone claiming to have a degree in ‘entire political science’?”
Source: ndtv.com