Experts fear textbook revision row will dent image of Karnataka as education hub

Bengaluru: Karnataka has been known as an educational hub at the national level. Educational clusters are established across the state. People from across the country prefer to study in reputed educational institutions of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mysuru, Dharwad and Belagavi districts.
However, the controversies surrounding textbook revisions followed by political slugfest between BJP, Congress and JD(S), agitation by litterateurs, protests registered by religious seers over the differential treatment to great personalities has again put the state in to the spotlight at the national level. Experts are fearing that the events have dented the image of the state as an educational hub.
After the hijab controversy, the textbook revisions row has hit the state’s education sector hard. As the hijab crisis made international headlines, the controversies over textbook revisions have already taken a communal turn and seems to be evolving as major crisis causing concern among parents and children.
Recognised Unaided Private Schools Association (RUPSA) President Lokesh Talikote talking to IANS stated that the whole process of textbook revision has completely dented the image of the state as an educational hub.
“There used to be sanctity and respect towards textbooks. Universally acceptable chapters were chosen. There used to be 180 experts as members for the textbook revision committee earlier. Each subject, lesson are carefully dealt with by experts. The ruling BJP with 9 to 10 members committee got the revisions done. It is impossible for such a committee to revise 160 to 170 chapters,” he explained.
The ruling BJP government has constituted the textbook revision committee under the Chairmanship of Rohith Chakrathirtha to revise Kannada textbooks of Class 1 to 10. The committee also revised Social Science textbooks of Class 6 to 10.