Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani met senior functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders and representatives of six Sangh-affiliated organisations on Thursday over amendments in India’s education system.
The meeting reportedly saw a discussion on the Indian education system between the RSS and Irani, with the former making some suggestions. The meeting that lasted over three hours at Madhya Pradesh Sadan was attended by senior RSS functionaries Suresh Soni and Krishan Gopal, BJP general secretaries Ram Lal and Ram Madhav, along with some senior functionaries of Sangh-affiliates. Union ministers who attended the meeting were Prakash Javadekar (Information and Broadcasting), Radha Mohan Singh (Agriculture), Narinder Singh Tomar (Labour) and Piyush Goyal (Power).
RSS affiliates such as the Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti founder Dinanath Batra have called for changes in the curriculum to better reflect ‘Indian values’. Modi’s home state Gujarat has already made Batra’s books compulsory in schools, leading to massive criticism by academics and other experts.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, considered close to the RSS, has also recently proposed a new national school board to ‘Indianise’ school education system.
The proposed Bharatiya Board of Secondary Education (BBSE) aims to offer a blend of traditional gurukul system with modern education in allow the schools affiliated to the proposed board.