NCERT Textbook Revisions

Sudha Murthy, Shankar Mahadevan in NCERT panel for content in school textbooks

The New Committee Formed to Revise NCERT Textbooks According to the New Curriculum: The newly formed committee to revise the textbooks according to the new curriculum of NCERT includes Sudha Murthy, Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, musician Shankar Mahadevan, economist Sanjeev Sanyal, and 16 others. The new committee, consisting of 19 members, will be chaired by the National Educational Plan and Administration Institute (NIEPA) Chancellor MC Pant, and will develop textbooks for classes 3 to 12.

NCERT forms 19-Member Panel for Textbooks Revision

A senior official mentioned that the committee has been assigned the task of creating textbooks and other educational materials, which will be published and used by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) according to the terms of reference. “For each subject area, the curriculum sector groups (CEGs) will assist NCERT in developing the teaching-learning material. These groups will have relevant experts in the respective subjects, and their formation will be done with the help of NCERT and NIEPA,” said the official.

Introduction: The Formation of a New Committee

The committee will work on aligning the curriculum with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) with Kasturirangan at its helm, as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. While the final NCF-SE was already handed over to the Ministry of Education, it is yet to be released in the public domain. The draft was released in April.

Committee Members and Expertise

The committee’s co-chair is Manjul Bhargava, a professor of mathematics at Princeton University. Other members include mathematician Sujatha Ramdorai, badminton player U Vimal Kumar, Chairperson of the Center for Policy Studies, MD Srinivas, and Chairperson of the Indian Language Committee, Chamu Krishna Shastry. In May, controversy arose from the removal of several topics and portions from NCERT textbooks, with the opposition accusing the central government of attempting to “whitewash with revengeful intentions.” The focus was on the fact that the changes made as part of the rationalization exercise were acknowledged but the controversial deletions were not mentioned, leading to allegations of trying to discreetly remove these sections.

Clarifications from NCERT

While NCERT admitted that there might have been inadvertent errors in textbooks, they denied any attempt to manipulate deletions. NCERT clarified that the removal was based on recommendations provided by experts. Also Read: What is CBSE and NCERT I What is Difference between NCERT and CBSE

NCERT Committee FAQs:

1. Q: What is the new committee for NCERT textbook revisions?
A: The committee aims to update NCERT textbooks and curriculum based on the latest educational requirements.

2. Q: Who are the members of the committee?
A: The committee comprises experts like Sudha Murthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Sanjeev Sanyal, and others.

3. Q: What are the objectives of curriculum revisions?
A: The goals include aligning with the National Curriculum Framework and implementing the National  Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

4. Q: Have there been any recent controversies regarding NCERT updates?
A: Yes, controversies arose due to the removal of certain topics and sections from textbooks.

5. Q: How has NCERT responded to allegations of manipulation?
A: NCERT clarified that the revisions were based on expert recommendations and not intended for manipulation.

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