In a statement issued last week, the National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF) said it “fully supports” changes to the English curriculum for the fifth semester BA Honors program at Delhi University.
More than 125 English teachers at Delhi University have condemned a statement by the National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF), a group of right-wing teachers on English curriculum. The NDTF said in a statement issued last week that it “fully supports” changes to the English curriculum for the university’s fifth semester BA honors course.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-backed group also demanded that the DU administration “scan” all other English language courses to remove similar “offensive” references. In their statement, they further said that “leftists” have spread “false propaganda that many Dalit writers have been removed”. The DU Supervisory Committee (OC) has removed from the English syllabus the works of two Dalit writers, Bama and Sukhitharani, as well as the famous writer Mahasweta Devi’s short story “Draupadi”.
“In the most indefinite, unproven way, the statement accused the entire team of syllabus makers of being driven by ‘leftist’ ideology and politics. We would like to mention that after our general body meeting, an open call was made. Welcomed and included, ”reads a statement from English teachers.
More than 150 teachers took part in creating the syllabus, many more giving valuable advice on specific texts and lessons and more responses, which came from the college department, it said. At each point, participants brought to the meetings an academic rigor that comes from years of research and lessons, the statement said.
They reiterated that there was never a political norm in the whole practice and that “the NDTF thus accusing us of malicious and malicious intent”. The NDTF said it was an unfortunate fact that a section of English department teachers were exploiting academic autonomy and independence to degrade Hinduism and ancient civilization and to maintain animosity between social castes, to encourage militant Maoism and Naxalism. Indigenous, etc.
The English teachers said, “Also, the NDTF’s unwarranted call to Hinduism and its dangers from the story of the goddess are every attempt to silence Draupadi, who is one of the most powerful female characters in Hindu mythology. Fear of those who heroically despise men and fight against patriarchy. “
Calling the NDTF’s statement “ignorant” and “full of biased intentions”, they said the NDTF wanted to create “inequality” and “polarization” among teachers.
(PTI)