Endowments Minister P. Manikyala Rao’s statement in the Assembly that placing images of gods and goddesses in classrooms of educational institutions which are using endowment lands would be made mandatory has stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Mr. Manikyala Rao said the move was aimed at protecting the temple lands, but his argument has failed to cut ice with many sections.
“Education should be imparted in the name of God on whose lands the institute is being run. Therefore, we have also put a condition that classrooms should have the portrait of the god or goddess of the temple to which the land belongs,” the Minister had said in reply to a question.
The institutions using temple lands may not have any objection to the proposal but free thinkers and rationalists call it ‘absurd.’
“We already have a large idol of goddess Durga on the campus of Sri Durga Malleswara Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala and images on the premises of Siddhartha Arts colleges. If the government wants us to increase the number of these portraits, we have no problem doing it,” said M. Rajaiah, vice-president of Siddhartha Academy of General and Technical Education (SAGTE).
In the eye of storm
SAGTE came in the eye of the storm after Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy accused the government of leasing out precious temple lands to the academy for a low price.
The new ‘portrait-in-classroom’ rule has evoked strong responses from some quarters. “Education is not meant for indoctrination; it is meant to open a child’s mind. The land does not belong to the god, it belongs to a trust. This is beyond the remit of the government,” says prominent humanist Babu Gogineni.
“You find children of all faiths in a classroom. In a secular set-up like ours, you cannot bring in religion into a classroom. Educational institutions are temples of learning, let them be that way; don’t transform them into religious temples,” said Y. Madhusudhan, an advocate from Kurnool.
He said the move cannot be justified from any angle and the government should reconsider its stand.
“Schools and colleges are obliged to be secular places. You cannot thrust such sensitive things in the name of education. If the government is against use of endowment lands by organisations, it should take them back. Why should children of other faiths be subjected to such inconvenience?” asked S. Prameela, a home-maker.
