The State Government has reintroduced the lesson on Bhagat Singh after protests by activists and others, AIDSO has said in a release.
“This is a victory for a people’s movement. This fight must inspire the united struggle of the people until the lessons that carry humanitarian values preached by Swami Vivekananda, articles by progressive thinkers P. Lankesh, Sara Abbubakar and A.N. Murthy Rao, the lesson on Narayana Guru and other progressive thinkers and lessons on social justice and gender equality are re-introduced,’’ activists said.
The State Government, which is following a discriminatory approach towards minorities, removed the lesson on Bhagat Singh and other lessons with ethical and moral content from Class 10 textbook.
In their place, a speech by divisive leaders K.B. Hedgewar, founder of RSS, that spreads obsolete and obscurantist ideas had been introduced. However, a State-wide opposition to this kind of so-called revision of textbooks ensued. Hundreds of protests were organised by common people and students against this. The State Government has now bowed down to the pressure of people’s movement and re-introduced the lesson on Bhagat Singh.
In a democratic education system, textbooks should not be controlled by party ideologies. Textbooks must have only the established truths, scientific, secular, democratic concepts, said district convener of AIDSO Mahantesh Bilur in the release.