Bengaluru: The Department of School Education and Literacy has issued an order to print new textbooks for the 2024-25 academic year comprising lessons based on works of progressive writers such as Girish Karnad and Devanur Mahadeva.
New textbooks have been framed based on recommendations submitted by a committee whose chief co-ordinator was retired history professor Manjunath G Hegde.
Lessons from Devanur Mahadeva, Chandrashekhar Kambar, Girish Karnad, Devidas, Mariyappa Bhatta, AN Murthyrao, Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy and Akkamahadevi will be introduced in textbooks. Some of them were dropped when the BJP was in power.
As per the order, the committee's recommendations were submitted for textbooks pertaining to Class 1-10 Kannada first and second language, Class 9-10 Kannada third language and Class 6-10 Social Science subjects.
The committee has retained all the corrections introduced into the textbooks as soon as the Congress came into power in the state. Last year, after the Congress formed the government, a corrigendum was issued to schools by making 18 major changes in the textbooks that were revised by a committee headed by Rohith Chakratirtha when the BJP was in power. However, the committee has not touched references to Tipu Sultan by retaining whatever was kept when the BJP was in power.
Lessons based on the writings of Nagesh Hegde and P Lankesh have been added. These were removed bby the Chakratirtha committee.
In the order, the department clearly said that in case of any controversy, the committee and its members will be held responsible. According to the order, textbooks for social science were revised by giving importance to Constitution, gender equality, child rights, democracy, secular values and scientific thinking.
Some key revisions:
* Grade 6 Social Science: Sexual minorities included in a lesson that deals with equal rights.
* Class 7 Social Science: The word 'Religion' replaced with 'Dharma'.
* Class 8 History: 'Values of Veerashaiva Pantha' replaced with 'Values of Basavadi Sharanas'.
* Class 9 History: Information on Kanaka Dasa, Purandara Dasa and Shishunala Sharifa added to Bhakti movement lesson.
* Class 10 History: Savitribai Phule, Yuva Bengali movement and Periyar added to the lesson on Social & Religion Reform Movements.
* Class 1 to 5 Kannada: Children's poem by KV Tirumalesh and VG Bhat added.
* Class 8-10 Kannada: Chandrashekhar Kambar's Seeme, Girish Karnad's Adhikara, Devidas' Chakragrahana, Mariyappa Bhatta's Namma Bhashe, AN Murthyrao's Vyaghra Geete, Devanur Mahadeva's Yedege Bidda Akshara and Akkamahadevi's Vachanas introduced.
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