Academicians flay DMK government’s resolutions on introducing Lord Murugan into school curriculum

CHENNAI: The two-day Global Muthamizh Murugan Conference, which was DMK’s obvious response to counter ‘Hindu consolidation’ attempts of the BJP, is facing a tirade from educationalists for some of the resolutions passed at the hill shrine meet. Academicians allege that the resolutions bring ‘religious activity officially’ into the school education set up and slam it as unconstitutional.

Resolution number 5 states, “schools coming under HR&CE would conduct elocution competition on Muruga literature.” Another one talks of taking school students to Murugan temples and making them chant Kandha Shasti Kavasam. Resolution 12 is about making a recommendation to the government to include Lord Muruga literature in the syllabus of colleges run by the HR&CE.

The move goes against secularism enshrined in the Constitution which wants all religions to be treated on par and governments cannot identify itself with any particular religion, academicians say. More so, from the DMK government, which has been a champion of secularism in the past.

The move is shocking as for the first time in over a century, a government is talking about taking students to a place of worship, says educationalist PB Prince Gajendra Babu. “Right from the Madras Education Rules framed by the British to Independent India’s Constitution, classroom and official school hours have always been secular. Some exceptions might be there should be corrected but the government itself cannot become a violator,” says the educationalist.

Jacto-Geo Chennai district coordinator Santhakumar says, it would be tough for teachers to implement such recommendations. “In a class having students from diverse religious backgrounds or some from families professing atheism, how can a teacher take a whole class to a temple or make them recite prayers for a particular god.” Such recommendations are impossible even under institutions run by the HR&CE. “Diversity exists in such schools and colleges too,” added Santhakumar, who is also the president of the Graduate Teachers’ Association for the Chennai district.

Even if we take the Right to Education Act (RTE), there is a clear demarcation not to bring any specific religion or worship into school and curriculum, says child rights activist and former professor K Shanmugavelayutham. “We use a universal prayer, proposed by Mahatma Gandhi, devoid of any religious identity in our camps. In that context, this Palani conference move appears more political than educational,” rues Shanmugavelayutham. Instead of such recommendations, the government should focus more on equality, equal opportunity, Constitutional importance enshrined under RTE, he says.

Promotion of a single god and single recitations of god, apart from breaching Constitutional provisions, is akin to what BJP does at the Centre with its mono-cultural approach, says Prince Gajendra Babu. “Promoting one god or one religion or linking it with a language is dangerous and has no legal grounding or precedent. Diversity existed all through the ages, which needs to be protected,” says Gajendra Babu.

A matter of faith is better left to an individual’s choice, as guaranteed by the Constitution, he added.