Around 3,900 objections and suggestions have been filed regarding the new syllabus prepared by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The curriculum is now being finalised after considering these inputs, and references to the Manusmriti will be removed.
SCERT director Rahul Rekhawar stated, “About 3,900 objections and suggestions have been received regarding the syllabus. We are finalising the syllabus by considering every objection and suggestion. The work is in the final stage. The plan will be finalised and submitted to the state steering committee, and references to the Manusmriti will be removed.”
The new syllabus, prepared as per NEP 2020, includes a component of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) to introduce students to the country’s ancient knowledge. The plan proposed incorporating IKS elements into the curriculum of each subject, offering students a choice of subjects, breaking the branch-wise education system, and including arts and physical education for overall student development.
It was suggested that students recite verses from the Manusmriti and chapters from the Bhagavad Gita for language studies, introducing them to Gyan Yoga, Atma Gyan Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Karma Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita.
The plan generated controversy due to the reference to a verse from the Manusmriti, leading to political protests against various provisions, including the insistence on religious education and mention of the Manusmriti. When announcing the syllabus, objections and suggestions were invited from various parties, including experts and scholars in the field of education.
Earlier on July 14, Delhi University rejected a proposal to include the ancient Hindu text Manusmriti in its Faculty of Law syllabus for jurisprudence in Semester 1. This decision came after an uproar from various quarters, prompting Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Professor Yogesh Singh to announce the rollback.
Dr. SK Sagar, Chairperson of the Social Democratic Teacher’s Front, who was instrumental in urging the university to reconsider, stated, “Jurisprudence is being turned into Dharmashastra; it is not inclusive but exclusive. Manusmriti should not be part of legal textbooks; it is a national issue. The text is against 85 per cent of the population of India and lacks the scientific temperament for law students.”
He criticised the text for promoting casteism, stating, “The caste system in India is divided into four varnas, and this book seeks to promote it. It says Shudras are born from the feet, and Brahmins are at the top of the hierarchy. This book is regressive, while today’s readings should be progressive. Delhi University is a premier institution. Can they teach such things?”
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in a statement to a news agency, said, “We were informed that Manusmriti would be part of the Law Faculty course. I inquired and talked to the Delhi University Vice-Chancellor. He assured me that some law faculty members had proposed changes in the jurisprudence chapter. But when the proposal came to the Delhi University administration, there was no endorsement from the Academic Council. The Vice-Chancellor rejected the proposal, upholding the true spirit and letter of the Constitution.”
When the proposal to teach the Manusmriti started getting talked about and criticised all around, Pradhan said that there was no question of teaching such controversial material. He spoke to the Vice Chancellor, who informed him that the plan was dropped even before it reached the academic council. The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that the university does not want to teach anything that hurts a section of society, and he used his emergency powers to reject the proposal.
The chairman of the law faculty mentioned that the proposal was brought to the faculty and there was a great deal of discussion about it. It went to the standing committee of the academic council, and no one objected to it.
As worrying as the proposal to teach the Manusmriti was, the process followed to make the decision to reject it is equally, if not more, concerning. It highlights the need for a transparent and inclusive decision-making process in academic institutions, ensuring that all voices are heard and considered to uphold the integrity of educational content.
