Madhya Pradesh: A controversy broke out in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district on Friday after a convent school principal allegedly handed out alphabet charts featuring Islamic references to the students. The incident led to a protest by members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, prompting the education department to order an inquiry into the matter.
What Happened At The Convent School In Madhya Pradesh?
According to the officials, the principal of Baby Convent School, IA Qureshi, allegedly handed out Hindi alphabet charts featuring Islamic references, like ‘Ka’ for Kaba, ‘Ma’ for Masjid and ‘Na’ for Namaz to the students. “The matter is related to the education department and referred to the district education officer (DEO),” Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Pratibha Sharma said.
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The members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad staged a protest on Friday, prompting police action. Police personnel were deployed, and the situation was brought under control.
“An investigation is being conducted into the allegations,” news agency PTI quotes DEO D D Rajak as saying. According to the Education Department’s guidelines, study material containing religious symbols of any particular faith cannot be taught in schools.
During the probe, Principal Qureshi admitted her ‘inadvertent’ mistake, stating that one or two such books with mixed Urdu-Hindi multiplication tables had been handed out to the students. She alleged the charts of alphabets were sourced from Bhopal. In addition to this, she said that due to the seller’s error, three to four such items, generally used in madrasas, were included.