Chapter on Tipu Sultan dropped from class 7 textbook in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The chapter on 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and his father Haider Ali are among those that have been dropped from the class 7 social science textbook, following the Karnataka government's decision to reduce the 2020-21 syllabi due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the chapters on Tipu have been retained in class 6 and 10 books, official sources said.
The revised syllabus uploaded on the Karnataka Text Book Society (KTBS) website shows that in class 7, social science text, chapter 5 that deals with Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, Historical places of Mysore, and Administration of Commissioners have been dropped.
The Department of Public Instructions decided to reduce the syllabus for the year 2020-21 in view of the pandemic and disruption in the academic calendar for the year, which has been brought down to 120 working days.
Responding to a question on dropping the chapter, officials said it should be noted that the students study about Tipu in classes 6 and 10.
A couple of months back, amid the growing clamor from some BJP leaders to remove a chapter in the textbook glorifying Tipu Sultan, the government had constituted an expert committee to look into it.
The committee however had recommended that the ruler cannot be ignored from the school syllabus.
Commenting on the development, Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar said that the BJP government was taking such decisions with a political agenda in mind.
Pointing out that Tipu was a historical figure, he said "history is history...you cannot change history.
We will not accept it. Congress will take it seriously by setting up a committee to look into it."
Soon after coming to power, the BJP government in Karnataka had scrapped the birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan, an annual government event the party had been opposing since 2015 when it was launched during the Congress rule, led by Siddaramaiah.
The BJP and right-wing organizations have been strongly opposing Tipu, calling the erstwhile Mysore king a "religious bigot".
Tipu was considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company.
He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort at Srirangapatnam against the British forces.
Tipu Sultan, however, is a controversial figure in Kodagu district as Kodavas (Coorgis), a martial race, believes that thousands of their men and women were held captive during his occupation and subjected to torture, death and forcible conversion to Islam.
He was also accused of execution of Mandyam Iyengars at the temple town of Melkote in Mandya district on the day of Deepawali as they supported the then Maharaja of Mysuru.
However, the scale of such suppression is disputed by several historians, as they see Tipu as a secular and modern ruler who took on the might of the British.
While BJP and some Hindu organizations see Tipu as a "religious bigot" and a "brutal killer", a few Kannada outfits call him "anti-Kannada", saying he had promoted Persian at the cost of the local language.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
