A widespread controversy has erupted over the replacement of certain commonly used words in school textbooks. In the draft revision of West Bengal’s school curriculum, a proposal has been raised to remove widely used words like ‘Pani’, ‘Abba’ and ‘Ammi’. The education department’s policy-making committee has suggested replacing these words with ‘Jal’, ‘Baba’ and ‘Maa’ respectively.
According to sources in education circles, the curriculum committee is preparing for a radical change in the language and vocabulary used in the state’s schools. Currently, this proposed draft revision is under consideration by the curriculum review authority. In expert circles, there is discussion about what impact this change in primary level language textbooks will have on students’ linguistic accessibility and cultural diversity.
Meanwhile, regarding this proposed replacement, West Bengal’s education and intellectual circles have been observed to be divided into two clear camps. While a section of educationists have opined that this step will represent the heritage and natural form of the Bengali language, another section has termed it an attack on linguistic pluralism and cultural harmony. Intense discussion continues across the state over this revision until the curriculum review committee takes a final decision.