Bhopal:
The teachings of the Bhagwad Gita could soon be a part of school curriculum in Madhya Pradesh.
"As part of the moral science the teachings of Gita should be included in the school curriculum. I am seriously thinking of doing so," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
But will it snowball into yet another controversy.
While some say the move is part of a larger goal by the government to saffronise education, others say the state government needs to get its priorities straight as the basic goal should be to ensure the availability of teachers.
Just like what happened when Surya Namaskar and mantra chants were made compulsory in government schools three years ago.
After some Muslim clerics moved the High Court, the exercise was made voluntary and students allowed to count numbers instead.
Last year, the government made it mandatory for students to recite bhojan mantra before having mid-day meals. And at a time when teacher vacancies are piling up, the government is hiring teachers on contract, paying them Rs 100 a day. That's what a labourer gets under NREGA.
Last year, of the 7 lakh students who took the Class X board exams, a whopping 65 per cent failed. The Opposition and educationists are not amused.
"It's a highly divisive agenda; the teachings of all religions are already part of the curriculum," said educationist Anil Sadgopal.
First, it was Surya Namaskar, then chanting of mantras, and now teachings of the Gita - is the Madhya Pradesh government taking the saffronisation of education to a different level?