Bengaluru: A Karnataka-based education rights organisation has raised objections to the National Council of Educational Research and Training's (NCERT) newly introduced Class 6 Kannada textbook, alleging that it gives undue prominence to religious themes and inadequately reflects the state's cultural diversity.

The People's Alliance for Fundamental Rights to Education (PAFRE) claimed that the textbook, titled 'Krishna', was part of a broader trend of introducing mythology and religion into school education under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework.

In a statement, PAFRE Principal Convener Niranjanaradhya V P questioned the rationale behind naming the textbook 'Krishna' and alleged that Karnataka's literary and cultural heritage had not been adequately represented.

The organisation said the state's identity was shaped by the contributions of prominent literary and social figures such as Pampa, Kuvempu, Kota Shivaram Karanth and Basavanna, and sought an explanation from NCERT on the choice of the title.

PAFRE also criticised a chapter on nutrition, alleging that it presented a predominantly vegetarian perspective while excluding references to commonly consumed foods such as eggs, fish and meat.

The group claimed that the illustrations and examples in the lesson did not adequately represent the dietary diversity of Karnataka and argued that non-vegetarian food habits had been marginalised.

It further alleged that the textbook lacked sufficient representation of the state's regional diversity, including the culture, folklore, literature and lifestyles of Coastal Karnataka, North Karnataka, Malnad and the Old Mysuru region.

The organisation demanded that the textbook be withdrawn from the current academic year's Class 6 curriculum and revised to better reflect Karnataka's social, cultural and linguistic diversity.

Among its demands, PAFRE called for the inclusion of references to eggs, fish and meat in the chapter on balanced diets, sought clarification on the process adopted for developing the textbook, and urged NCERT to consider a title that, according to it, more appropriately represents Karnataka's identity.

There was no immediate response from NCERT to the allegations.