Madhu Bangarappa hints at textbook revision ahead to ensure students' minds are not 'polluted'
Bengaluru (PTI): Newly appointed Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Tuesday indicated the possibility of revising school textbooks in the days ahead, in the interest of the students and to ensure that their minds are not "polluted".
He however did not wish to make any comments on overturning te 'hijab ban', saying the matter was before court, and asked people to wait for answers on the new government's plans to scrap the National Education Policy (NEP).
The Congress in its poll manifesto had promised to undo the changes made to school textbooks when the BJP was in power, and had also promised to scrap NEP.
"I was the vice president of the Congress' manifesto committee, and in the manifesto we had said clearly that textbook revision will take place in the interest of the students' future. We don't want their minds to get polluted," Bangarappa said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "We have already said that students come to schools to get educated and we don't want it to be disturbed, and there should be no mistake on part of the government or me or officials or the system in this regard. We have given the commitment."
Stating that textbooks for the start of school from tomorrow have been dispatched to an extent, he said, "The challenge before us now is -- how we will do it with care, without affecting the students and their studies."
The commitment in the manifesto will be taken forward with the guidance of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, he added.
Asserting that the act of "polluting children's minds through texts and lessons" cannot be condoned, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday had said, "As the academic year has started, we will discuss and take action so that the education of the children is not disturbed."
Noting that the education sector will not be allowed to be "adulterated" in the name of NEP, the CM had said that a separate meeting would be convened in this regard once again to discuss it comprehensively and take strict decisions.
Stating that he has already held one round of discussions with the Chief Minister, Bangarappa said he will be creating a team to take things forward in the department.
"I can't divulge much on this now, cabinet meeting is scheduled to take place on June 1, and on that day things might take shape for him to share more information," he said.
There was a textbook controversy during the previous regime, with demands by opposition Congress and some writers for sacking the then textbook review committee chief Rohith Chakratirtha for allegedly "saffronising" school textbooks by including the speech of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar as a chapter, and omitting chapters on key figures like freedom fighters, social reformers, and the writings of noted literary figures.
There were also allegations of erroneous content on 12th century social reformer Basavanna and certain factual errors in the textbooks, including accusations of disrespecting 'Raashtra Kavi' (national poet) Kuvempu and distortion of the state anthem penned by him. Initially the allegations were refuted but subsequently rectifications were made in some cases.
Responding to a question on whether the hijab ban will be overturned in schools and colleges, the minister said, "As the matter is in the court, if I make any comments, it will be wrong. Whatever has to be done legally by the government will be done by the Law Department. This is the direction I have got as of now...if I say anything else, it will become a commitment."
Asked about Congress' plans to scrap the National Education Policy, Bangarappa said, "You will get answers for this in the days to come. I have just got the responsibility of the department yesterday."
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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