KOLKATA: The life and contributions of Syama Prasad Mookerjee are set to be included in West Bengal school textbooks from the 2027 academic session, while the syllabus restructuring committee has recommended reducing coverage of Mughal history and communism and dropping chapters on the Singur land movement and the Kanyashree scheme.
The recommendations of the school syllabus restructuring committee, formed by the state education department, have been submitted to the government for approval.
Sources said the committee had recommended that coverage of Mughal history and communism be reduced as much as possible, while chapters on the Singur land movement and Kanyashree would be removed.
“The syllabus restructuring committee is looking after the matter. I will see once it the recommendation report comes to me,” state Education Minister Deepak Burman told the media on Thursday.
Following the change in government in West Bengal, the BJP-led state government announced plans to modify the school syllabus from the pre-primary level through secondary classes, with greater emphasis on Indian culture, values and the lives of freedom fighters, including Mookerjee, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP.
In July, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said at Mookerjee's birth anniversary celebrations that his role in the creation of Bengal, his patriotism and his idea of a united India should be printed, studied and discussed at all levels, from schools to universities.
The new academic session in state-run and aided schools begins in January.
“We are not going for an overhaul but only modifications or corrections. We are making changes that we cannot do without. We do not have a lot of time because the books have to reach schools by January 2,” said committee chairman Debasish Chatterjee, a professor in Kalyani University's chemistry department, according to media reports.
“The life story of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and his contribution will be included in every book in every class. This will be there at the beginning of each book to give students a clear understanding of him,” Prof Chatterjee told the media.
The committee has also recommended changes to the Bengali literature syllabus. Rabindranath Tagore's poem Africa is proposed to be replaced by Shivaji Utsav, while Sachindranath Sengupta's play Sirajuddaula is proposed to be replaced by Dwijendralal Ray's Mewar-Patan (The Fall of Mewar).
“The history of the Mughal Empire will be included only as much as students should learn and know. We don’t believe that the history of the Mughal Empire is the only history of India,” Chatterjee said.
There won’t be any glorifications of Communism in the new syllabus beside a portion, which is factual and has truth in it.
The committee has also proposed changes to the language used in textbooks, including replacing the word “pani” with “jol”. Words such as “abba” and “amma” are also proposed to be replaced.
The recommendations are part of a broader restructuring of the state school curriculum, with the government seeking to introduce changes before textbooks for the new academic session are printed and distributed. Recent reports said the revised books are expected to reach schools from January 2, 2027.