Schools to have revised textbooks from 2016-17

Bengaluru, Jan 23: The new textbook revision committee formed to look into errors and distortion of facts in school textbooks of the new syllabus from classes 1 to 10, had its first meeting on Thursday.

Kimmane Ratnakar, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, presided over the meeting. Speaking on the sidelines of the programme, Nagendra Kumar, Managing Director, Karnataka Textbook Society, said that the revision committee would be ready with the revised textbooks by May, although the new version will be introduced only in the academic year 2016-17.

“The committee will be working to revise errors in all 352 titles in 7 mediums. Members of the revision committee have been asked to do a very thorough work,” he said. Speaking at the inauguration of the meeting, Ratnakar said: “As many as 171 members are part of the committee. No changes will be made in a hurry. We will make sure that sentiments of no community and religion are hurt.”

The government introduced a new syllabus based on the National Curriculum Framework, 2005, starting from 2012 in a phased manner. As part of the new syllabus, new textbooks for classes 5 and 8 were introduced that year. This was followed by new textbooks for classes 1, 2, 6 and 9 in 2013 and for classes 3, 4, 7 and 10 in 2014.

Since the academic year 2012-13, when the first batch of new textbooks was introduced, a number of errors in various subjects were pointed out by academicians and various organisations. Instances of attempts to saffronise textbooks were also pointed out by a number of groups.

In 2014, Deccan Herald carried articles on a number errors in Science, Mathematics and English textbooks of class 10. While 80 errors were pointed out in the English textbooks, some claimed that the Mathematics textbooks had 300 errors. As an example of attempts to saffronise textbooks, various minority groups pointed to the science textbooks of class 9 that were out in 2013, which they claimed were replete with saffron agenda.

For example in page 28 of the textbook, Dronacharya was bizarrely referred to as the first test-tube baby who took birth 7,500 years ago. Besides these, the textbook was replete with a number of Sanskrit quotes in a number of chapters.

An official from the Textbook Society said, “Although corrections of these errors were made in subsequent years following the publication of the textbooks, the new revision committee was constituted to take a thorough look at all textbooks of the new syllabus.”

Notification

Ratnakar said that a notification to conduct the Common Entrance Test (CET) for recruitment of teachers would be issued in 10 days. The CET, originally scheduled for last year, has not yet been held. Following this, another round of the Teacher’s Eligibility Test (TET) would be conducted. Knowledge of English and computers would be mandatory for the second TET, he added.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

Comments