Revising Class 12 Books by NCERT Driven by Divisive Agenda, Says Historians

Several educationalists and historians have criticized the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) decision to revise Class 12 textbooks.

The historians claimed that removing the chapters was driven by a divisive and partisan agenda. The historians demanded NCERT to withdraw the decision.

Significantly, some sections related to Mughals were removed from the Class 12th History textbooks, and paragraphs that contained information about the ban briefly imposed on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by the then government after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi were omitted.

Historians including Romila Thapar, Jayati Ghosh, Mridula Mukherjee, Apoorvanand, Irfan Habib and Upinder Singh are among others who have started a signature campaign to protest against the NCERT’s decision.

On the other hand, the Democratic Teachers Front, an organisation of university-level teachers, said that if 'WhatsApp University' is given a free hand to devour Indian schools, colleges and universities, then Indian democracy will be seriously affected.

Meanwhile, the education body's chief issued a clarification after the decision to drop chapters on Mughal history sparked controversy.

Speaking to ANI, NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said the chapters on Mughals have not been dropped.

Saklani said, “It's a lie. (Chapters on) The Mughals have not been dropped. There was a rationalization process last year because due to COVID, there was pressure on students everywhere. The debate is unnecessary. Those who don't know, can check the textbooks..."

Earlier this month, NCERT revised the Class 12 History book by removing the chapters on the Mughal Empire. The rationalized syllabus has been introduced by the NCERT for the academic year 2023-24. 

According to the updated curriculum, NCERT has removed the chapters and topics related to ‘Kings and Chronicles; the Mughal Courts (C. 16th and 17th centuries)’ from history book ‘Themes of Indian History-Part II’. 

The NCERT will remove some poems and paragraphs from the Hindi textbooks too. 

Along with History, Class 12th Civics book has also been revised. The NCERT has removed two chapters titled `American Hegemony in World Politics` and `The Cold War Era` from the book.

The NCERT has revised the curriculum for classes 10th and 11th as well. Subjects including Central Islamic Lands`, `Clash of Cultures`, and `Industrial Revolution have been removed from Class 11 textbook `Themes in World History`. 

Also Read: NCERT Revises Class 12 History Book; Chapters On 'Mughal Empire' Removed