Himachal Pradesh Introduces Bhagavad Gita in School Syllabus From Class 9-12
According to the Himachal Pradesh education minister, school students in classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 will be taught the Bhagavad Gita from this academic session.
“Gita will be taught in schools in Sanskrit and Hindi languages. Besides, Sanskrit will be introduced for students of Class III onwards,” minister Govind Singh Thakur said, according to The Tribune. These changes, he argued, will help teach students about their culture and give them a “moral boost”.
Thakur’s statement comes two weeks after the Gujarat government announced that the Bhagavad Gita will be a part of the school syllabus for classes 6 to 12 across the state from the academic year 2022-23.
The Karnataka government is also considering introducing the Gita as part of ‘moral education’ in state schools.
Experts have argued that the move has both religious and pedagogic connotations. “When a theological text is elevated to the status of “unique universal inspiration” and is taught by teachers as part of the curriculum, what is likely to be the fate of students who seek to subject the shlokas to logic and analysis? Instead of developing a rational outlook and an attitude of critical enquiry, it is obvious that students will be driven to learn the Gita by heart. What purpose will be served by this kind of rote learning should be obvious,” S.K. Arun Murthi wrote in The Wire.
Badri Raina added that if government-funded schools are so keen to impart a ‘moral education’, they should not have qualms about drawing from all religions:
“We may recall that keeping in mind the religious plurality of India, Mahatma Gandhi’s prayer meetings used to be inclusive of texts from all Indian religions — a course of reflection and action that he clearly sought to press into service to consolidate and further communal harmony and unity among all Indians. Few Hindus indeed may have practiced the noble humanist precept of Sarvadharma samabhav (equal respect for all religions) as he did, although, sadly, following this article of belief often propounded by ideologues of the Sangh did not win him any laurels from the self-appointed authenticators of true Sanatan faith.”
