Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Punjab Deputy CM, Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday reiterated that his party and its allies wanted the Government to undo the damage inflicted on imparting Sikh history to the students of the Punjab School Education Board Class XII, besides restoring all 23 chapters deleted from the syllabus of the same class.
“For us, it is very solemn religious, academic and emotional issue. There is no scope for anyone to play politics with this sensitive and serious issues concerning the history and heritage bequeathed to us by the great Guru Sahiban,” said Sukhbir.
He said that the SAD wanted the “outrage” against the Sikh history to be undone. “Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s statement yesterday represents an implied acknowledgement of the fact that grave injustice has been done to the Punjab and the Sikh history, heritage, religion, culture and legacy. Although he has not said so in many words, it is clear now that he no longer sees any justification in the drastic and dangerous changes brought in the history syllabus for Class XII,” he said.
“For the first time now, he has even talked about the need to review the decision to delete and expunge Sikh history from the academically significant and Board-monitored exam of Class XII. There is no justification for shifting the study of this momentous part of history including the history of the great Guru Sahiban and Sikh icons from the senior and professionally important Class XII to XI the exams for which are monitored locally by school managements,” he said.
Sukhbir pointed that immense academic significance of Class XII cannot be compared with the locally monitored Class XI, and the “deleted chapters of history must, therefore, be restored to Class XII syllabus”.
SAD chief said that the deletion of Sikh history for senior students smacked of a conspiracy to destroy roots of our religious and cultural legacy for the present and future generations of our children, “which is unacceptable and will never be tolerated”.
Sukhbir asked the Chief Minister that instead of passing the buck, he should tell the people the whole truth that the changes in syllabus for Class XII have been made during the tenure of his government.