Students Pledge News – Dt.25.04.2022 – Continuing the attack on the democratic – secular contents in the school syllabus, the CBSE has excluded certain portions from its curriculum for the academic year 2022 – 23, which was released on April 21. Addressing the issue, Sourav Ghosh, the General Secretary of AIDSO has released the following statement:
The education system in India is coming under increasing attacks by the ruling dispensation led by the BJP – RSS. Ruling party tampering with school textbooks in tune with its exclusionist, sectarian & divisive ideology is grave threat to inculcation of scientific & rational mind among children and preserving unity & diversity our country. AIDSO vehemently condemns any such political doctoring of school textbooks and creating unscientific mind.
The exclusion of chapters on ‘Democracy and Diversity’, ‘Popular Struggle Movement’ and ‘Challenges to Democracy’, from NCERT textbook of Class 10, a chapter on ‘Central Islamic Lands’ from Class 11 history curriculum, content on the “impact of globalisation on agriculture” from the Class 10 syllabus and one on the “Cold War era and the Non-Aligned Movement” from the Class 12 political science syllabus, some chapters on mathematical reasoning from syllabus for Class 11 is the latest in a series of attacks on our education system. An examination of the contents that have been removed shows precisely the nature of education that the State wants to dispense to the future generations. By selective exclusion of chapters relating to democracy and secularism, the RSS – BJP combine intends keep students dark about historical truths & diverse ideas which are against their divisive ideology. Imparting one sided, exclusionist & non-diverse history creates blindness which is a fertile ground for the growth of fanatic, fascistic & communal ideas. To blind the students of our country to all advancements made by human civilization, and to continue to divide people based on their socio-cultural differences is a crime against civilization. Such an education will eventually keep generations of our population in dark about the historical and political evolution and happenings. Citizens educated by such a distorted process will be vulnerable to campaign of hatred being unleashed by the right-wing forces. It should be noted that such measures are closest parallel those taken in Nazi Germany under Hitler.
AIDSO calls upon all democratic and secular minded people to unite and resist such measures that are not just anti – education but also anti – human.
