Bengaluru’s Clarence High School received flak after it asked parents to sign an undertaking which said that they would not object to their children carrying a Bible to class every day
Image used for representational purposes. Pixabay
The controversies in Karnataka just don’t seem to end. After the hijab row in classrooms, comes the Bible row in the state that will go to polls in 2023.
A school in capital city Bengaluru has, according to an India Today report, made it compulsory for the students to carry the religious scripture to class every day.
We take a closer look at what the school has directed at a time when the state is mulling to introduce teaching the Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus for state schools.
The Bible row
Clarence High School, located in Richard’s Town in Bengaluru, has directed that all its students will attend Scripture Class and parents would not object to carrying the Bible to class each day.
The Christian minority institution founded in 1914 in its admission application form for Class XI, asks parents to sign a declaration that reads, “You affirm that your child will attend all classes including Morning Assembly Scripture Class and Clubs for his/her own moral and spiritual welfare and will not object to carry the Bible and Hymn Book during his/her stay at Clarence High School.”
The move has drawn criticism right-wing groups that claimed that the school is forcing non-Christian students to read the Bible.
The Hindu Janajagruti Samithi, a right-wing Hindu organisation operating globally and established on 7 October 2002 with the slogan ‘For establishment of the Hindu Nation’, has vehemently decried the move and said it’s violative of the Karnataka Education Act.
Its state spokesperson Mohan Gowda told India Today that the school is forcing non-Christian students to read the Bible.
“There is a conspiracy to snatch away their religious rights. We have approached the Karnataka education minister BC Nagesh. We will meet him. If the state government does not take action, we will approach the high court and file a Public Interest Litigation,” Gowda was quoted as saying to Asianet.
Other right-wing supporters also took to Twitter to express their contempt for the decision. One netizen called it ‘Christian Evangelist Terrorism’.
Another Twitter user wrote that missionaries were “taking advantage of loopholes in the Constitution”.
The school has remained defiant on the issue and told Republic TV that they would consult with their advocates on the matter. “We are aware about the issue, we had handed over the matter to our advocates. They will reply, Once they give us the advice, we will take it forward,” said Clarence High School Principal Jerry George.
Bhagavad Gita in school syllabus?
Interestingly, this controversy has erupted when the state government is working on a plan to introduce the Bhagavad Gita in schools.
On 20 March, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said, “What else?…You tell me, if not Bhagavad Gita, what else will give moral values? It has been done in Gujarat, our minister has said he will discuss it. Let’s see what details the education department comes out with.”
Earlier, Education Minister BC Nagesh had hinted that the Bhagavad Gita may be introduced in schools from the next academic year, saying that the “Bhagavad Gita is not only for Hindus, it is for all.”
The BJP’s decision in the state had invited criticism from the Opposition with the Congress calling it “more dangerous than the COVID-19 pandemic”.
“Equality should be maintained in an academic atmosphere. Inclusion of Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus is as dangerous as the coronavirus pandemic,” Congress’ Tanveer Sait had said as per a report in The News Minute.
Siddaramaiah also said, “We believe in Hindu religion and give equal respect to other religions. We do not have any objection to teaching the Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Quran to children. But, children should be given quality education.”
Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy also questioned the move.
With inputs from agencies
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