The West Bengal government is set to introduce lessons on the life and contributions of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee in school textbooks while removing the chapter on the Singur anti-land acquisition movement from the curriculum.
School Education Minister Deepak Barman announced the changes on Wednesday, saying a committee had prepared a revised syllabus with greater emphasis on the state's history and prominent personalities.
“Mookerjee will find a mention in every textbook, with a brief introduction to his life and contributions,” Barman told reporters.
The chapter on the Singur movement, which was previously part of the Class 8 syllabus, has been dropped. The committee has also recommended removing the chapter on the Kanyashree scheme from Class 6 textbooks. The conditional cash transfer programme was a flagship initiative of the previous Trinamool Congress government.
New subjects and changes to textbooks
The revised curriculum will introduce Information and Communication Technology as a structured subject for students in Classes 5 to 8, with a prescribed syllabus.
Third-language textbooks will also be introduced for students in Classes 7 and 8. In another change, the complete text of 'Vande Mataram' will be printed at the beginning of every textbook.
Barman said the quality of paper used for school textbooks had also been improved as part of the revisions.
The government is also considering changes to the existing no-detention policy, which currently applies up to Class 9. Barman said discussions were under way on removing the policy and that a decision was expected shortly.
2027 board exams may be rescheduled
The state government is considering rescheduling the 2027 Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examinations to prevent them from clashing with the Census exercise, which will require the deployment of schoolteachers.
The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has proposed conducting the Madhyamik examinations for Class 10 students from March 2 to 16, instead of the earlier schedule of February 15 to 25.
The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE), meanwhile, is expected to propose holding the fourth-semester Higher Secondary examinations after March 16. The examinations were tentatively scheduled to take place between January 22 and February 23.
Barman said the government had received the proposals from the two examination boards and that the revised dates would be announced by next week.
The proposed changes are intended to ensure that the deployment of teachers for Census-related duties does not disrupt the state board examinations.