West Bengal to include Syama Prasad Mookerjee in school syllabus
School Education Minister Deepak Barman announced changes to the curriculum, including removing the Singur movement chapter.
The West Bengal government will add lessons on the life and work of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee to school books and remove the chapter regarding the Singur anti-land acquisition movement, according to the Hindustan Times.
School Education Minister Deepak Barman told reporters on Wednesday that a committee has completed a revised syllabus. The new curriculum will focus more on state history and notable figures, with Mookerjee appearing in every textbook through a brief introduction.
The changes also include dropping the Singur movement chapter from the Class 8 syllabus and removing the Kanyashree scheme chapter from Class 6 books. Additionally, the complete 'Vande Mataram' will be printed at the start of every textbook.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will become a structured subject for students in classes 5 to 8, and third-language textbooks will be provided for classes 7 and 8. Barman noted that the quality of textbook paper has been improved.
The government is also looking at rescheduling the 2027 Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examinations to prevent conflicts with the Census, which requires teachers. The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has suggested moving the Class 10 exams to March 2-16.
The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) is expected to propose holding fourth-semester Higher Secondary exams after March 16. Barman stated that revised examination dates will be announced by next week.