No controversial script to be included in varsity syllabus: Education Minister
Anshita Mehra
New Delhi, July 12
Amid controversy over a proposal to include “Manusmriti” in the law curriculum at Delhi University, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan here on Friday firmly said there was no question of including any controversial portion of any script in the syllabus.
‘Committed to Constitution’
We all are committed to our Constitution and to a futuristic approach. The government is committed to upholding the true spirit and letter of the Constitution. — Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister
Speaking to the media on Friday, Pradhan said, “Yesterday, some information came to us that ‘Manusmriti’ will be part of the law faculty course (in DU). I enquired and talked to Delhi University Vice-Chancellor (VC). He assured me that some law faculty members have proposed some changes in the jurisprudence chapter. There is no endorsement of any such proposal in the Academic Council. Yesterday, the V-C himself rejected that proposal. We all are committed to our Constitution and to a futuristic approach. The government is committed to upholding the true spirit and letter of the Constitution. There is no question of including any controversial portion of any script.”
The proposal to include “Manusmriti”, an ancient Hindu legal text, in the undergraduate law syllabus was set to be discussed in an Academic Council meeting on Friday. The move sparked criticism from a section of teachers and students, particularly from the Left-wing. However, before the meeting, Delhi University V-C Yogesh Singh clarified, on Thursday, that the LLB students would not be taught “Manusmriti”.
In a video statement, Singh explained, “The faculty of law on Thursday suggested changes in the paper titled ‘Jurisprudence’, and their suggestions included readings on Manusmriti, which the university rejected. A proposal by the faculty of law was submitted to the Delhi University administration. They had suggested changes in the paper titled ‘Jurisprudence’. One of the changes in the proposal was to include readings on ‘Manusmriti’. Delhi University has rejected both the suggested readings and the amendments proposed by the faculty. Students will not be taught about ‘Manusmriti’.”
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) staged a protest here on Friday, demanding a formal notification from the V-C.
AISA DU Secretary Anjali addressed the public meeting, stating, “We have been witnessing a series of attempts to saffronise education from the KG to PG. For the past few years, we saw a rise in these attempts through the introduction of Savarkar in the BA political science syllabus, removal of prominent Urdu poet Muhammad Iqbal, author Mahasweta Devi’s short story ‘Draupadi’, and writings of Tamil Dalit feminist writers Bama Faustina Soosairaj and Sukirtharani. Apart from this, works by prominent historians such as RS Sharma’s book on ancient India and Irfan Habib’s book on medieval India have been dropped. We demand an end to the project of syllabus changes that only serve the ideological purpose of the ruling party and reiterate the secular and democratic traditions of Delhi University.”
Professor Uma Gupta, a member of the Democratic Teachers’ Initiative, said, “Getting such a proposal in itself is problematic, because all of us know that the education system should be logical and scientific and focus on equality. If we talk about equality in the context of Indian society, the two big factors are caste and gender.”
She added, “I believe that ‘Manusmriti’ is in favour of creating a divide in society on the basis of caste and gender. I am shocked that such a proposal has been put forward in such a democratic nation where equality is a right to everyone. Such a proposal is very unfortunate to all of us teachers.”
Besides, the Congress OBC Morcha staged a protest here, voicing its opposition to the proposal. The protest took place in front of the DU Art Faculty building, where demonstrators burnt an effigy of ‘Manusmriti.
