The Indian Express spoke to a cross-section of people in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and found that school girls as well as the teachers, particularly in Punjab, favour the introduction of house-keeping in the school curriculum, but there are no takers for Sanskrit as this language has no professional utility for them.

Says Debby Rai, a 15-year-old student in Ludhiana: ``Girls have to spend a lot of money on special cooking classes or art and craft lessons. It is expensive as well as inconvenient to make time for them after school hours. If it isintroduced in the school curriculum itself, it would certainly help.'' Concurs H K Sikri, principal, Central School, Palampur: ``The girls will get a better grip on the household work if this subject is taught in the classrooms.''

A certain section of the people, however, said house-keeping should be introduced for boys as well and singling out girls for the study of this subject would be a retrograde step as girls can't be pushed back into traditional roles after they've gone out, acquired skills and excelled in professional jobs as well as -- and in some cases better than -- men.

The introduction of Sanskrit has evoked a fierce and opposite response. ``We already have a comprehensive syllabus to cover. Sanskrit will add to the burden. It should be an optional subject and should never be made compulsory,'' says Pragya, a Plus Two student of St Thomas School, Ludhiana. ``What is its relevance in this day and age,'' she asks. Avers Anita Bhandari, a senior school teacher in Hisar, Haryana: ``Sanskritshould not be made compulsory at the high school level.''

But Prof M S Malih of Ropar is not convinced. He asks: ``If English can be imposed on children, why can't they be taught Sanskrit, which is a part of our heritage?'' Malih, however, warns: ``There should be no compromise on the individual's freedom and it should be made optional.'' Disagrees M Ranga, Vice-Chancellor of the Kurukshetra University and a Sanskrit scholar himself: ``The rejection is not based on awareness. Sanskrit is the most scientific language to be taught. It is a welcome move.''

But Ranga's is a minority view, though there is concern among academicians about this source language becoming extinct. Says Sukh Dev Singh, Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University: ``Both Sanskrit and Urdu are dying languages and they should be revived by setting up select centres of learning where people are encouraged to pursue their studies.''

Sanskrit apart, is there a need to revise school education and ``Indianise'' it? ``Yes,'' assertsRopar advocate Shamsher Singh Maloya, ``the colonial education system imposed by the British certainly needs to be reviewed and changed.'' Cautions Inderjit Singh, a physics lecturer in Ropar: ``Religion should not be the yardstick. We should introduce changes which equip the students to take up jobs and perform their professional duties well.''

Observes Hemwati Sheoran, a lecturer of political science at Government College, Hisar: It is an `intellectual bomb' to counter the Islamisation in Pakistan.'' Certainly not, say Yogesh Bhatia and Sudarshan Dhingra, two commerce lecturers at Rohtak's Hindu College: ``Swadeshi in the education system will restore a way of looking at life and teach us the art of living once again.''

But is there a need to rewrite the history books? ``No,'' says Prof Bhushan of Sutlej Sahit Sabha, ``this exposes the BJP's agenda. By attempting to rewrite them, we are sowing the seeds of intolerance which will have an adverse fallout in the long run for our society as a whole.''

Ifnot rewrite then what kind of changes should we introduce? ``We should focus on the golden age in our ancient history and the struggle for freedom instead of over-emphasising the medieval period which shows us in a selfish light,'' says R. S. Patial, Principal, DAV School, Ludhiana. But Sukh Dev Singh, Vice Chancellor of the Punjab Agricultural University, differs: ``History is based on facts and can't be altered to suit current thinking. We needn't hide our weaknesses and, in fact, should learn from them. Changes must be made based on historical evidence.''

Says L N Dahiya, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak: ``The education policy should be formulated with an eye on the 21st century. It should not be communalised. The changes should be pragmatic and rational and should promote a secular outlook among the people.''

But who should make these changes? ``A group, not necessarily comprising educationists, should be asked to suggest them,'' says Hisar-based historian Madan MohanJuneja. ``It is not necessary that only educationists can bring about such changes. People from other walks of life should also participate in the exercise.'' Juneja quotes the example of Swami Keshvanand who was a school dropout but went on to spread the knowledge by opening a village university in Sangria in Rajasthan.

Most people in the region criticised the walkout of some state education ministers from the all-India meeting on the issue of singing of Saraswati Vandana, saying that there is no connection between the BJP's attempt to push its agenda and the invocation to the goddess of learning.

Says Ropar advocate Maloya: ``I think Punjab Education Minister Tota Singh has committed a historical blunder. They should not have walked out on this issue. Children are very often guided by symbols rather than wisdom. There is nothing wrong with the worship of Saraswati. In fact, the bond between the students and Saraswati should be as strong as the one between the workers and Lord Vishwakarma.''

Adds ProfBhushan: ``The education ministers' conference was the right forum for Saraswati Vandana. Does anyone realise that the national anthem is in Bangla and not in Hindi? If a prayer is sung in Sanskrit in its place, it will make no difference. But the political parties are seeing motives in this action when there may be none.''