A group of senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionaries including Suresh Soni and Dattatreya Hosabale met Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani on Thursday to give their inputs for “improving” the education system.
Even as the meeting set off speculation that the RSS had made suggestions to amend the school syllabi to make it more “Indianised,” an official of the HRD Ministry described the meeting as “routine.”
Speaking to The Hindu , the official said: “The group did not discuss revamp of the syllabi but talked of holistic improvement in education. These meetings are routine. Since these RSS leaders have been monitoring the sector and various organisations involved, they came to share their experience. They discussed the areas that need attention and improvement.”
The official added that only a “discussion” took place and no petition was submitted to the Minister.
After the BJP government took over, there has been concern in academia that the RSS and affiliates will push for changes in the curriculum.
The speculation gained ground after Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti founder Dinanath Batra, called for sweeping changes in the curriculum to make it reflect ‘Indian’ values.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s proposal to have a new national school board, the Bharatiya Board of Secondary Education (BBSE) that will be a “blend of the traditional gurukul system with modern curriculum” has further fuelled the supposition that efforts are on to make changes in the education system.
