SAYS DECISION TO REALIGN SYLLABUS WITH NCERT TAKEN IN AKALI RULE, SGPC WAS PART OF DISCUSSIONS SINCE MARCH 2017 TOO
CHANDIGARH:Slamming the opposition parties Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the issue of Sikh Gurus in school history books, Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday rejected their allegations, warning them against harming the interests of the state by playing with religious sentiments.
The CM lambasted SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal for making “baseless statements” and condemned AAP for “joining the vilification campaign against the government without bothering to verify the facts of the matter”.
He pointed out that it was during the Akali regime in 2014 that the decision to realign the courses with the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) syllabus was taken and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) was party to all the discussions.
“It was on January 9, 2014, that an expert committee was proposed to be set up to discuss the issue of realignment and to finalise the history syllabus from Class 9 to 12,” Amarinder further said.
The CM said after assuming charge, his government had written to SGPC in March 2017 for discussion on the issue of the history course realignment and the body deputed Prof Paramveer Singh of Panjabi University, Patiala, for this. He flayed SGPC head Gobind Singh Longonwal for deliberately hiding the facts.
“The Class 11 history book they are talking about has not been printed yet. The history of the Sikh gurus has been retained in the realigned syllabus, with no cutting or pruning,” he said.
‘SAHIBZADAS’ CHAPTER MY RECOMMENDATION’ Following the “syllabus realignment”, the entire period from Guru Nanak Devi to Guru Gobind Singh and the martyrdom of the four Sahibzadas is now being taught in Class 11, the chief minister said, adding that the history of four Sahibzadas was incorporated on his recommendation.
Information on the Sargarhi battle and the Sikh general Sham Singh Attariwala was incorporated in the Class 10 history book on my suggestion,” he said.
PSEB TO PUT CLASS 11 BOOK ON WEBSITE
The Punjab School Education Board said on Monday it will upload the new Class 11 history book on its website, after opposition parties accused it of removing chapters related to the era of Sikh gurus from Class 12 books. “The new book of Class 11 will be uploaded on PSEB website in next 10 days and thereafter, it will be released in the printed form,” a senior PSEB official said.
The SAD and Aam Aadmi Party have accused PSEB of deleting the history of Sikh gurus from the history book of Class 12.
SAD PANEL TO DECIDE COURSE OF ACTION
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday decided to hold a meeting of its core committee on May 3 to formulate an action plan to force the Congress government to reinsert all 23 deleted chapters related to the era of the Sikh gurus back into the Class 12 history book.
Presiding over a party meeting here, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Congress government was belittling the glorious history of the Sikh gurus.
