Now Reading: Bengal may replace Tagore’s ‘Africa’, add Syama Prasad to syllabus
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Bengal may replace Tagore’s ‘Africa’, add Syama Prasad to syllabus
West Bengal's school curriculum may see major changes from 2028, with Rabindranath Tagore's poem 'Africa' and Sarat Chandra Sengupta's play 'Sirajdaulla' proposed for replacement. 'Shivaji Utsav' and 'Banger Pratapaditya' could take their…
The Story in Brief
West Bengal's school curriculum may see major changes from 2028, with Rabindranath Tagore's poem 'Africa' and Sarat Chandra Sengupta's play 'Sirajdaulla' proposed for replacement. 'Shivaji Utsav' and 'Banger Pratapaditya' could take their places. The Class 8 history syllabus may drop a section on the Singur movement and add parts on India's freedom struggle. Separately, the state government has also decided to include Syama Prasad Mookerjee's contributions in the curriculum from the next academic year, India Today and NDTV report. The 125th birth anniversary plans also include a 125-foot statue and museum at Eco Park, plus restoration of his ancestral home.
The Indian Opinion
This syllabus tweak is dressed as an update, but it reads like selective history. Dropping Tagore's 'Africa' and a play on Siraj-ud-Daulah while adding Syama Prasad Mookerjee carries a clear political slant. The Singur movement's removal is also a pointed absence. Who decides what a child must unlearn? The final curriculum list, once the review is done, will be the real test of whether this is about improving education or rewriting it.
Sources (3): english.mathrubhumi.com, indiatoday.in, ndtv.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
