The Karnataka government has established a fresh committee for the revision of state curriculum textbooks. This committee will focus on revising first and second language Kannada textbooks for grades 1 to 10, as well as third language Kannada textbooks for grades 9 and 10. Additionally, social science textbooks for grades 6 to 10 will also undergo revision.
In an order dated September 25, Dr. Manjunath Hegde, a retired history professor, was appointed as the chief coordinator of this committee. The committee comprises various subject-specific leaders and a total of 37 members, including education experts and academics. They have been granted a period of up to three months to complete the textbook revisions, enabling the updated curriculum to be implemented in the academic year 2024-25.
During the previous year, when the BJP held power, there was controversy surrounding the textbook revision process. This was due to the appointment of Rohit Chakrathirtha, a right-wing ideologue, as the chairman of the revision committee. The Congress party accused the government of influencing the textbooks with a right-wing perspective, citing the inclusion of lessons about RSS founder KB Hedgewar, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and works of right-wing activists like Chakravarthy Sulibele.
The main responsibility of the 37-member committee is to offer educational counsel and recommendations to the government regarding the revision of textbooks in the specified subjects and grade levels. The order also suggests providing a monthly stipend and other amenities for the chief coordinator and other members of the committee for the next three months.
