Hyderabad: After Telangana State, Andhra Pradesh too may change its school curriculum, localising it to the state and eliminating aspects about Telangana. However, the revamped curriculum can only be taught from the 2016-17 academic year, as there is no time left for deliberations. Sources, however, said that for this year, minor but important changes related to the basics about the state and its geography were being made.
The Telangana government had authorised the TS State Council of Educational Research and Training to localise the curriculum, focusing on Telangana. All aspects about AP are set to be deleted from the textbooks in Telangana. In the same vein, the AP SCERT wants to localise the curriculum restricting it to AP. Sources said that the exercise was to begin last year itself, but the AP government didn’t grant the permissions and requisite funds for the purpose. “Last September we sought permissions from the government to suggest changes to the curriculum but it couldn’t be done,” sources said.
AP SCERT director Lakshmi Watts, said, “We have to make a lot of changes. We will begin work on it from next month.” Like Telangana, AP is also expected to make changes in the Telugu and Social Sciences curriculum, deleting references to Telangana and its culture. “Telangana alleges that there is nothing about their culture or literature in the curriculum of the undivided state, but that is false,” a senior official said.
Officials said there are aspects about festivals like Bathukamma and Bonalu in chapters about festivals of Andhra Pradesh. Also, there are three chapters entirely related to Telangana in the Telugu curriculum, apart from other aspects, which will have to be removed now.
Sources added that this year minor, but crucial changes like capital of AP, number of districts, its area and other demographic, physical and political aspects will be altered as per the residuary AP. “By the next academic year, it is more than likely that the curriculum will be changed,” the official said.
