False claim: Bhagavad Gita made compulsory in primary schools in the Netherlands

According to a claim which has been shared online, the Bhagavad Gita has been made compulsory in schools in the Netherlands from grade 5.

Hare Krishna pic.twitter.com/zCqSI7usI1

— Maithili (@SuvarnBharat) June 26, 2021

In fact, this claim has circulated on social media platforms for some years now, mostly on Twitter and Facebook. The post below is from 2016.

Bhagavad Gita classes made compulsory for Dutch students from Grade 5- The Netherlands Law In India- a communal book pic.twitter.com/E8YemrdOun

— 🕉️ #PuRu … 🕉️ (@Puru_Tweet) September 19, 2016

Alt News also found articles on the internet which stated the same.

Users of the Alt News app requested us to verify this claim.

FALSE CLAIM

There are two aspects to this claim – the narrative itself and the photograph accompanying it.

BHAGAVAD GITA NOT COMPULSORY IN THE NETHERLANDS

It is utterly false that the Netherlands has made the Bhagavad Gita compulsory in schools. The list of mandatory subjects for primary education in the Netherlands is readily available on the website of the Government of Netherlands. Compulsory subjects include Dutch, English, arithmetic and mathematics, social and environmental studies, creative expression, and sport and movement. There is no reference to the Bhagavad Gita as a compulsory subject/module for primary education in the Netherlands.

PHOTO FROM 2013

Alt News reverse-searched the photograph of the two young girls which has been circulated along with the claim, and found that it had been uploaded in September 2013 on a website, Iskcon Mind Tree. It may be noted that ISKCON is a cult of Krishna followers.

It may be stated that the social media claim about the Netherlands making the Bhagavad Gita compulsory in schools is a hoax, and has been posted on websites and circulated on various social media platforms since at least 2016.