Singur Dropped, Syama Prasad Mukherjee Added: Big Syllabus Rejig in BengalA major political row has erupted in West Bengal following a comprehensive school curriculum revision. Under the revised syllabus announced by School Education Minister Deepak Barman, chapters detailing the Singur anti-land acquisition movement and the flagship Kanyashree scheme have been removed from middle school textbooks.
Concurrently, lessons on the life and contributions of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee have been introduced across classes. The revisions, framed by a state-appointed committee, also incorporate Information and Communication Technology from classes five to eight, third language textbooks for classes seven and eight, and the printing of the full text of Vande Mataram at the front of each textbook.
The political opposition and academics have criticised the move, terming the exclusion of pivotal peasant movements an attempt at saffronisation, while the state government maintains that the modifications aim to encourage critical thinking and highlight prominent state personalities.