BENGALURU: The state government has announced the dissolution of the state textbook review committee. The move comes amid a controversy over textbook revision.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, late on Friday, said that the committee has been disbanded since its designated work had concluded. Bommai emphasised that the government is open to further revision in case of any objectionable content.
Several seers and prominent personalities had objected to a move by the government to revise a chapter on the 12th-century reformer Basavanna. A section of seers had alleged that Basavanna’s teachings had been distorted in the revised Kannada and social science textbooks for Class 10 students. They also accused the review committee of insulting poet Kuvempu’s state anthem.
The state government issued a clarification that the distorted state anthem was not part of any textbook. The government has ordered the cyber crime department to look into the allegations and take necessary actions in this regard. Bommai also informed that a chapter on Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bengaluru, has been newly added to the textbook.
A controversy surfaced last month over alleged erroneous revision of textbooks in the state curricula. There were demands for the sacking of review committee chief Rohith Chakratirtha. The committee, headed by Chakrathirtha, was set up to examine and revise the school textbooks. (ANI)