The West Bengal Higher Education Department has asked all state-aided schools, colleges and universities to include the life, contributions and legacy of Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee in their curricula and organise educational and youth outreach programmes on the subject.
Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay said the changes would be introduced from the 2027 academic session.
In a communication dated September 15, the department forwarded a memorandum from the Information and Cultural Affairs Department to principals of schools and colleges and registrars of all state-aided universities, seeking early action and an action-taken report.
The move also includes archival work, academic programmes and commemorative initiatives linked to Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary.
MINISTER EXPLAINS THE MOVE
Chattopadhyay on Wednesday told PTI confirming the decision, that the “Left ecosystem” had made the younger generation unaware of Mookerjee’s contribution. He highlighted Mookerjee’s role in the creation of West Bengal during Partition and his tenure as vice-chancellor of Calcutta University.
The minister said Mookerjee’s contribution and legacy should be communicated and commemorated appropriately. He also said there would have to be a chapter on Mookerjee in textbooks, similar to those on other luminaries of Bengal.
Suvendu Adhikari had earlier, including on Teachers’ Day, called for chapters such as the Singur land agitation to be removed from the school syllabus and Mookerjee’s contributions and sacrifices to be included prominently.
Education Secretary Binod Kumar said the decision on incorporating the subject into curricula would be taken by syllabus committee members and academics.
ACADEMICS TO HELP SHAPE CURRICULUM
The September 15 notice referred to a September 9 communication from the Information and Cultural Affairs Department. It said the initiative followed decisions of a high-powered committee chaired by the chief minister to observe Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary.
The School and Higher Education Department was asked to consult academics Arindam Mukhopadhyay and Professor Arindam Bhattacharya on appropriate topics related to Mookerjee’s life, contributions and legacy at school, college and university levels.
Experts Amalesh Mishra and Raj Kamal Pathak were also proposed for academic inputs while designing a course or module.
ARCHIVES, OUTREACH, AND COMMEMORATIONS
The department asked the National Library to collect and preserve books, documents, archival records and other material related to Mookerjee to create a repository for researchers, students and future generations.
It also proposed approaching Parliament, subject to rules and permissions, for speeches, debates, documents and other archival material related to him.
Educational and outreach programmes involving teachers, academics and students have also been proposed. The Information and Cultural Affairs Department suggested exploring international academic collaboration for chairs in Mookerjee’s name at institutions in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Myanmar.
The proposal also includes suitable commemorative measures, including busts, statues or other representations on identified campuses where considered appropriate.
(With PTI inputs)
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