[Core] NCEE statement on the textbook revision in Karnataka

[Niranjanaradhya.V.P Aradhya]

Dear Guru,

Thank you very much for taking initiatives to draft this statement. It is very timely intervention from the coalition. There is an institutional procedure and method to prepare or revise textbooks based on a curriculum framework. In 2014, the books were revised on the basis on NCF 2005 and insights from position papers. They current revision is happening in vacuum without a defined NCF. Based on the NCF, each state should come out with SCF before developing textbooks. Moreover, the entire process is undemocratic, opaque and not following the principles of natural justice consulting the previous authors, before removing their lesson from the textbooks.

I endorse this statement and it can go to press without press clippings.

Regards,
Niranjanaradhya  




Niranjanaradhya.V.P
Development Educationist, Mentor of SDMCs and  
Chief Advocate of Neighbourhood Common School System  through  State Funded Public Education.

________________________________________
From: Core <core-bounces at educationemergency.net> on behalf of Guru <Guru at ITforChange.net>
Sent: 31 May 2022 9:03 AM
To: core at educationemergency.net
Subject: [Core] NCEE statement on the textbook revision in Karnataka

Dear friends,

As you may be aware, Karnataka government setup a committee to revise textbooks last year and the committee has dropped chapters of progressive writers/ on progressive ideas (Lankesh, Ramakrishnan, Periyar, Narayana Guru) including chapters on caste in society. This revision process has also lead to a delay in printing and distribution of textbooks, though schools opened two weeks ago (from May 16), many textbooks are still not available in the schools.

A few of us have drafted a statement from the NCEE on this issue. We request your review on this statement and feedback by end of June 2, based on which we can review/revise/finalize and issue. In our last meeting on 28 May we discussed the need for NCEE to speak up in cases where we see active discrimination, on religious/caste/gender grounds, which also further aggravates the education emergency.

I have also provided a few newspaper articles on this topic which provides some data for our statement, for reference. We will also seek specific endorsements and comments from educators to share with the statement to get wider publicity.

Look forward to your responses.

thanks and regards
Guru