Stories from Panchatantra and Bhagavad Gita will be part of the syllabus from the upcoming academic year which will begin in May, minister for primary and secondary education, BC Nagesh said.

Speaking at Mysuru, he said that a decision on which classes these are to be introduced to will be taken soon. However, there are apprehensions from various sections over introducing Gita as part of the syllabus in the name of moral education.

“Moral education is important for our children. Recently, I came across an instance where students from Maharashtra were unfamiliar with the consequences of Mahabharata. It is our fault that we did not teach them. So we have decided to teach moral education from this year onwards,” he said.

The lessons will be narrated in the form of stories to students, BC Nagesh said.

For the lower classes (classes 1 and 2), students will be taught by telling them stories as per the National Education Policy 2020.

The Karnataka government, in September last year also constituted a committee to investigate corrections to be made in social studies textbooks prescribed for school students. The state government came under heavy criticism by several left-wing activists after the committee proposed that Tipu Sultan not be glorified and only be read as a ruler of the state. Among the other proposals, short biographies of lesser studied personalities from South India and dynasties from Northeast India have been suggested for study.

Also read: Maharashtra: BJP demands inclusion of Bhagavad Gita in schools