NCERT removing topics uncomfortable to the RSS-BJP worldview
The school curricula-advising body, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) recently removed from the class 12 Political Science textbook references to the anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002, which took place allegedly with the overt and covert support of the then-ruling (and ever since) BJP.
Though autonomous as per its constitution, NCERT is all but so under the current BJP dispensation. Over the last few years, it has removed several chapters, and added some, to suit the RSS-BJP worldview. Uncomfortable topics like the 2002 Gujarat riots, chapters on social movements (which go against how BJP sees itself, as an all-encompassing do-gooder for Hindus) and topics on Islamic history have been removed, while a chapter on the period of Emergency from 1975-77 was added (to what was already there) to make students aware about the ‘truth of emergency’.
Here is an overview of the main changes brought about by NCERT in recent years.
Content removed
April 2022
- 2 poems by Faiz Ahmed Faiz (class 10 Political Science – Democratic Policies II)
- Rise of the Islamic rule in Afro-Asian countries (class 10 History – India and the Contemporary World II)
- The chapter ‘Cold War Era and Non-Aligned Movement’ (class 12 Political Science curriculum)
April 2019
- Rise of nationalism in the Indo-China region (class 10 History – India and the Contemporary World-II)
- Understanding of history through fictional works and novels (class 10 History – India and the Contemporary World-II)
- Urban development and climate challenges faced by cities due to it (class 10 History – India and the Contemporary World-II)
March 2019
- Chapter ‘Clothing: A Social History’, on the role of social movements and agitations in the evolution of attires in England and India (class 9 History)
- Chapter ‘History and Sport: The Story of Cricket’, on the connection of caste, religion and politics with the history of cricket in India (class 9 History)
- Advent of capitalism and how it changed the life of farmers and farm labourers (class 9 History)
March 2018
- Title of the portion ‘Anti-Muslim Riots in Gujarat’ changed to ‘Gujarat Riots’ (class 12 Political Science). This portion was recently dropped altogether.
- Map showing Aksai-Chin as disputed area replaced (class 12 Political Science)
Content added
July 2018
- A chapter on the Emergency of 1975-77 in India added (class 10 and 11 History)
April 2018
- Chapters on GST, demonetisation, Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao and Swachh Bharat campaign
