Kolkata, Agency
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari criticised previous governments over the state's education system, alleging that opportunities to learn English were severely curtailed during the Left Front era and that the situation deteriorated further during the final decade of the subsequent TMC government.
Speaking at an annual programme of an RSS-affiliated organisation in Kolkata's Golpark on Thursday, Adhikari said the state's education system had been pushed to a point where major reforms were necessary to prevent further deterioration.
Referring to Bengal's political history, the Chief Minister said people in the state had traditionally given sufficient time to the governments and had provided opportunities for change.
Alleging language terrorism by the previous government, he said, "The previous TMC government has introduced certain words which have no relation with the Bengali language. They have polluted the language and a correction is inevitable."
Adhikari said his government had aligned the state with the National Education Policy after coming to power.
He also reiterated the government's position on singing the full version of *Vande Mataram*, warning that institutions that did not comply would lose access to government grants and assistance.
The Chief Minister further accused previous governments of damaging the curriculum and undermining the dignity of the teaching profession by allegedly making appointments through blank appointment letters.
He also alleged that discrimination between Hindus and Muslims had been encouraged in educational institutions and that the National Cadet Corps (NCC) had been banned.
"We will not allow these kinds of things to happen in the state. There should be no discrimination," the Chief Minister said.
Speaking about the history of Bengal's freedom struggle, Adhikari said, "It is unbelievable that the contributions of revolutionaries such as Matangini Hazra and Khudiram Bose had been inadequately represented in school textbooks and instead some unimportant things have been given prominence."
He alleged that distortions had been introduced into history syllabi for Classes V to VIII.
The Chief Minister said protecting Bengal's heritage, reforming the education system and fostering patriotism among young people were among the government's key priorities.
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