Bengaluru: Primary and Secondary Education Minister B. C. Nagesh on Friday March 18 said that the State Government is deliberating to reintroduce Moral Science as subject in schools in the near future.
Speaking to mediapersons on Friday March 18, Nagesh said that he was planning to speak to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on whether to implement Moral Science as subject in the schools. Whatever has an impact on the children will be introduced — Whether it is Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana or Mahabharata, whatever that has an impact on children will be introduced. In Gujarat, they are planning to introduce it in three phases, and in the first phase they have introduced Bhagavad Gita, he added.
“If everything is agreed upon, we will consult education experts and decide on the aspects and syllabus of the Moral Science subject. The duration of the class will also be fixed. Why Bhagavad Gita should not be taught to the children?” Minister Nagesh questioned.
Former Union Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna used to say that he reads Bhagavad Gita every day and that gives him strength. In this country, all tall leaders, elders who have thought about the nation have talked highly about Bhagavad Gita. “Whether we introduce Bhagavad Gita, the education experts should tell us. They might suggest Bhagavad Gita, Ramayan, moral stories or they might also recommend a few portions of Quran and Bible, he explained.
“Moral Science in schools had made a way out for many years now. And it is parents’ insistence that it is reintroduced. If not now, we are thinking of introducing the same in the future. However, we are not planning to introduce the same in 2022 – 23 academic year, he informed.
“When you ask someone how a well cultured society can take shape in the absence of schools and universities from the times immemorial in the country? The elders say that they read or heard about Ramayan, Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita,” he said.
Mahatma Gandhi, in his autobiography, has written that his mother’s teachings on Ramayana and Mahabharata during his childhood days helped him to evolve as a truthful person. He also said that Satya Harishchandra enactment also influenced him to be truthful, Minister Nagesh explained.
Minister for Large and Medium Industries Murugesh Nirani stated that Bhagavad Gita has human values and children need to learn about those values. The Government of Gujarat has taken a decision to add Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus and a decision should be taken in Karnataka also to introduce Bhagavad Gita to children, he said.
BJP senior leader M.P. Renukacharya stated that he would welcome the decision to include Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus. Young BJP MLA Kudachi Rajiv stated that he has been reading Bhagavad Gita since 10 years and it is one of the best literature available in the world.
According to sources, the Education Department, though giving diplomatic statements in this regard, is preparing to teach the Bhagavad Gita, the holy Hindu scripture to students under the Moral Science subject.
However, Congress has maintained that the present syllabus has been prepared by resourceful persons and there is no need to include anything now.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee D.K. Shivakumar, State Congress President has stated that there are lessons on Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita and other religious holy books in the syllabus. There is no necessity to glorify anything now, he opined.
“I have opposed the National Education Policy (NEP) in the beginning. The present syllabus includes everything. There is no necessity to include anything new to it. There is nothing left for BJP to take credit in the issue. Our Late Chief Minister Kengal Hanumanthaiah had distributed copies of the Bhagavad Gita for Rs 2 earlier,” he said.
Inputs by IANS
