Fact-Check: Claims about teaching Ramayana, Mahabharata in Saudi Schools false
A recent viral claim suggesting that Saudi Arabia had introduced the teaching of two ancient Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, in their school curriculum under the ‘Vision 2030’ initiative has been debunked by Alt News.
On October 5, 2023, journalist Abhijeet Majumder shared a video report of Zee Media’s WION channel on X (formerly Twitter). The report says that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata will be taught to students in schools in Saudi Arabia. Majumder wrote that the two epics would now be taught in Saudi Arabia but they are not taught in Indian schools because India is ‘secular’. (Archive)
Saudi will now teach Ramayan and Mahabharat in school. MBS is making the curriculum more inclusive.
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) October 5, 2023
Unbelievable, right?
What is more shocking?
That Ramayan and Mahabharat are not taught in Bharat’s schools. Because India is ‘secular’.pic.twitter.com/zOy3t1PbZ4
He later wrote in a tweet that the video was from 2021 but his views about the Indian school curriculum would remain the same.
This is not the first time this claim has been made on social media platforms. In April 2021, several media organisations reported that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata would be taught in Saudi Arabia as part of their ‘Vision 2030’ initiative. East Coast Daily, Times Internet’s Speaking Tree, Muslim Mirror, Aaj Tak, Janta Se Rishta, ABP Education, The Kashmiriyat, Hindustan Times, Patrika, RSS mouthpiece Organiser, India Today, News18, Zee Media’s WION, Republic TV, TV9 Hindi and Yahoo News were among the outlets that covered the news.
On April 16, 2021 Nation World News and propaganda website OpIndia Hindi published an article stating that under Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision-2030’ students are being taught the history and culture of other countries, including Ramayana and Mahabharata, as part of cultural courses.
The misinformation, which resurfaced on social media platforms in October 2023, originated from reports dating back to April 2021. Various Indian media outlets, including East Coast Daily, Speaking Tree, Muslim Mirror, and others, had reported that Saudi Arabia was incorporating these epics into their syllabus. These claims were primarily based on a tweet by Saudi resident Nouf Al Marwaai, the founder of the Arab Yoga Foundation and a recipient of India’s Padma Shri award, who shared images of a school exam paper mentioning Ramayana and Mahabharata.
However, a detailed fact-check conducted by Indian news website Alt News dispelled these claims, revealing that the information was misleading and lacked accuracy. The reports suggesting the inclusion of these epics in the Saudi curriculum were based on a misinterpretation of Marwaai’s tweet and an exam paper from a private Indian international school.
Alt News investigated the matter further, reaching out to a senior editor based in Saudi Arabia, who clarified that there had been no official statement from the government regarding the inclusion of Ramayana and Mahabharata in the school curriculum. The editor explained that the screenshots shared by Marwaai were from a private international school’s exam paper, not a government school. These questions related to the Indian sub-continent were included in a social studies and world geography subject to test students’ knowledge. The editor emphasized that the freedom of education provided to communities in these private international schools should not be confused with the curriculum at public schools.
Additionally, Saudi journalist Omar Al Ghamdi weighed in on the matter, pointing out that private international schools had been using similar curricula for years before the ‘Vision 2030’ initiative. He highlighted the need to distinguish between the curriculum in private international schools and public schools.
Nouf Al Marwaai, the source of the initial tweet, clarified in a telephone conversation with Alt News that her statement had been taken out of context. She explained that her son studied at a private school where these references to the epics were made under the Literature subhead of the South Asian Art section. However, these references were not part of the official syllabus but were included in a historical context.
Despite these clarifications, the misinformation continued to spread on social media platforms, amplified by several right-wing users who shared the false claims without verifying their accuracy.
Ramayan and Mahabharat will soon be taught in Saudi Arabia. Crown Prince MBS has directed schools to include the two Indian epics in their curriculum. pic.twitter.com/wgsulI9sqH
— Friends of RSS (@friendsofrss) April 30, 2021
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LPG issue: Lok Sabha proceedings adjourned again amid opposition protests
New Delhi (PTI): Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Friday amid relentless protests by opposition members over the LPG situation and hike in its price due to the ongoing West Asia crisis.
As the House reassembled at 12 noon after an earlier adjournment over the same issue, Opposition members trooped into the Well and raised slogans against the government.
After laying of papers, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for refusing to understand the pulse of the people saying if the principal opposition continues to behave in such a manner, people will punish them severely.
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"Their leader is refusing to change. Now the members are also behaving like him. Their leader is indulging in drama in Parliament premises by holding plate and glass. They think that by doing such theatrics they will be able to draw the attention of the people, but people know them very well that is why they have not been able to come to power," Rijiju said.
Expressing disappointment over the Congress behaviour, the minister said no one in the Congress party is making their leader see logic.
"Still there is time to change otherwise people of the country will punish you severely," he said.
As the opposition refused to relent, the Chair adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to respond to a debate on the second batch of supplementary demands for grants this afternoon.
