Mangaluru, Apr 27: Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh today said that religious books and practices cannot be introduced into the curriculum of the schools which are registered under the Karnataka Education Act. He however, added that Bhagavad Gita, cannot be considered as merely a religious book.
“Religious books cannot be in the syllabi. Bible and Quran are religious books and Bhagavad Gita is not a mere religious book. One cannot compare Gita to any other religious book. Gita speaks about the values and life and not about religious practices. One cannot find references to religious practices in Gita. Whereas, Bible says that to be a Christian, one has to believe in Bible. Gita has no such comments,” the minister told media persons in Mangaluru.
He said that all students irrespective of their religion, learn about great personalities such as Jesus, Swami Vivekananda and others as a part of the curriculum. However, if religious classes such as catechism are conducted in the schools, it is against the regulations of KEA.
The educational institutions do have their freedom in administration but not in making changes in the curriculum when they are registered under Karnataka Education Act. They have to comply with the KEA regulations, irrespective of the fact that they are minority institutions or not.
In the aftermath of complaints received against institutions which have made it compulsory to carry the Bible for school prayers, the Block Education Officers have been asked to look into it. Biblical education cannot be imposed on the students. In fact, the website of an institution has clearly stated that only those who believe in Bible are welcome to their school.
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