No Textbook Conspiracy
Current Situation:
- The periodic table and the theory of evolution, in particular, have recently been removed from scientific textbooks by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), according to alarmist news reports.
- The usual suspects declared the threat to India’s secularism and scientific mindset on social media.
- Disinformation and confusion are the outcomes of the widespread distribution of unsubstantiated information on social media, which was then magnified by mainstream media. This not only damaged the NCERT’s credibility but also raised doubts about the nation’s educational system.
The following variables are taken into account when justifying the NCERT textbook:
The NCERT was tasked with streamlining textbooks across all topics and grade levels. The procedure took into account five major criteria:
- overlaps with equivalent material in other classes’ courses.
- the same subject matter in a lower or higher class.
- The difficulty level.
- Content that is readily available, does not need much guidance from professors, and can be studied independently or with others.
- Content that is inappropriate in this setting.
- Another crucial element that drives the current rationalisation process is the pandemic’s consequences on the educational system.
- Due to the enormous loss of teaching time caused by the pandemic, learning was lost and the workload on the pupils increased. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education shared this concern as well.
- In order to promote “quick recovery in the learning continuum and compensating time loss of students,” the rationalisation process was started.
Dispute and confusion around the change of the NCERT curriculum:
- It goes without saying that uncertainty and false information have caused conflict. In this regard, three remarks must be made.
- First, it’s important to get perspective and distinguish truth from fiction.
- The periodic table has been relocated to Unit 3 in the Class 11 textbook rather than being “removed from the school education curriculum.”
- Chapter 6 of the textbook for Class 12 goes into “great detail” about Darwin’s theory of evolution.
- The removal of several things that opponents claimed were left out of the notification of the rationalisation is what has created the most of the confusion. This is a typical example of reprinting, where minor deletions are not always disclosed to prevent misunderstanding. It has nothing to do with any sort of plot.
- Second, these books are only for this academic year.
- The Textbook Development Committee, which was established in 2005, is tasked with revising the textbooks on a regular basis in addition to the larger synchronising practise that makes them compliant with NEP 2020.
- It is the responsibility of this committee to create the curriculum in accordance with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) of 2005. Each suggested modification is initially given to the Textbook Committee, whose job it is to review and provide recommendations. Furthermore, these are not fundamental changes because reprinting textbooks to incorporate stakeholder ideas is a routine procedure that happens each year.
- Third, an expert panel made the decisions. Due to the toll that the pandemic took on students’ mental health, the rationalisation of textbooks is a need-based effort to lessen content load.
Conclusion:
- Controversies that follow changes and adjustments to textbooks are nothing new. During Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s brief term, the political landscape in 1978–1979 was dominated by the debate over changing the material in history textbooks. A chapter about Sikhism had to be rewritten in 2006, while the UPA was in power, as a result of intense controversy.
- Nevertheless, it is alarming how quickly the dispute grew, despite the fact that India is now better equipped than ever to double-check the facts. Before starting a conversation, context and information must be taken into account.
- The NCERT dispute demonstrates both how simple it is to propagate false information and, more importantly, how crucial it is to combat it. And the NCERT textbook’s syllabus has to be revised immediately.
