Bengal school curriculum to add Mookerjee, remove Singur chapter

Bengal school curriculum changes will introduce the life and contributions of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and remove the chapter on the Singur anti-land acquisition movement, School Education Minister Deepak Barman said on Wednesday. He told reporters in West Bengal that the committee preparing the revised syllabus had finished its work.

According to Barman, the revision will give more attention to the state's history and prominent figures. He said every textbook would carry a short introduction to Mookerjee, who founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.

The Singur movement chapter had formed part of the Class 8 syllabus. The committee has additionally recommended taking the chapter on the Kanyashree scheme out of Class 6 textbooks.

New subjects and examination proposals

The Bengal school curriculum revision also includes Information and Communication Technology as a structured subject for Classes 5 to 8. It will have a prescribed syllabus, while Classes 7 and 8 will receive third-language textbooks.

Barman said textbooks would begin with the complete Vande Mataram and would use improved paper. Discussions on the school pass-fail system were continuing, with a decision expected shortly.

Separately, the government is considering changes to the 2027 Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examination timetable. The proposed adjustments aim to avoid overlap with the Census exercise, for which schoolteachers will be deployed.

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education has proposed March 2 to 16 for the Class 10 examinations, replacing the earlier February 15 to 25 schedule. The Higher Secondary council is expected to propose fourth-semester examinations after March 16 rather than the tentative January 22 to February 23 window.

These examination dates remain proposals. Barman said the government had received them and would announce revised dates by the following week.

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