'Present-day govts viewing history through ideological lens': Activist B Sripad Bhat

Udupi: Criticising the removal of Mughal history from school textbooks, Education Rights Activist B Sripad Bhat said present-day governments were viewing history through an ideological lens and deleting portions that did not align with their political beliefs.

Speaking at the Environment and Education Conference organised in memory of Prof Madhav Gadgil, organised by the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Udupi unit, Bhat said whenever a party with a particular ideology came to power, it tended to remove from textbooks subjects that did not fit its narrative. “Teachers and teachers’ organisations should have staged strong protests against such developments. But that has not happened.”

Bhat said understanding Indian history would become impossible if the Mughal history was excluded from textbooks.

He argued that during the Mughal period, education was extended to non-Brahmin communities for the first time and questioned how such developments could be erased from history. “This is the responsibility before teachers today. The universalisation of education in India had begun during the colonial administrative system.”

Speaking on the topic ‘Current Crises in School Education’, Bhat expressed concerns over increasing privatisation in education. “The government is allocating Rs 42,000 crore for education today, yet it is insufficient. But without such allocation, education itself cannot survive. As governments are unable to manage education effectively, privatisation is expanding rapidly. Within the next 10 years, public education may witness complete private capital investment. Governments no longer seem concerned about public investment in public education.”

He also criticised the uncertainty surrounding the education policy in the state. “Although the state government has claimed to reject the New National Education Policy (NEP), its recommendations continue to remain in the school system. The rejection has neither become official nor has any notification been issued. Karnataka today has neither the NEP nor a State Education Policy.”

He pointed out that although the state elections were expected in 2028, the state still lacked a clear education policy framework. According to him, the cabinet sub-committee constituted to draft the State Education Policy did not include teachers, parents, or representatives of educational institutions. “By the time the entire process is completed, elections will arrive. There is hardly any possibility of implementing a new State Education Policy within the available time. If the government changes later and the NEP is reintroduced, children’s future will suffer. Teachers and the public must therefore discuss educational policies seriously.”

Bhat observed that the biggest crisis in Indian education was the lack of inclusiveness. “Although education has become more universalised, the real question is who actually has access to it and to what extent.”

He said many crises were emerging because public policies were increasingly being challenged in courts. “Parents, who are key stakeholders in education, remain largely unaware of educational policies. In such a situation, leaving educational decisions entirely to parents itself becomes a crisis.”

Bhat called for expansion of the Right to Education from the present 6–14 years age group to cover children from 0–18 years. He also demanded that school education be brought under the State List, the inactive Central Advisory Board of Education be revived, clarity be provided on the bilingual policy, public education be strengthened, separate educational policies be framed for oppressed communities, and anganwadis be reinforced.