NCERT Textbook Modification Row: 73 Academicians Slam 'False Propaganda' Against The Council

After 35 scholars, including Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar who were chief advisers for the textbook development committee, requested to have their names removed from the "rationalised" National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks, another 73 academicians have called their move a "false propaganda" against the Council.

Academicians from various institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, University Grants Commission, and Vice-Chancellors from State universities, issued a joint statement on Thursday (15 June) night.

They alleged that their counterparts who wanted their names removed from the textbooks were trying to capture media attention, and seem to have forgotten that textbooks are an outcome of collective intellectual engagement and rigorous efforts.

“Their demand is that students continue to study from 17-year-old textbooks rather than updated textbooks. In their quest to further their political agenda, they are ready to endanger the future of crores of children across the country,” they said, reports The Hindu.

According to the statement of 73 academicians, in the past three months, there have been deliberate attempts to malign the NCERT, which is a leading public institution.

They also said that there are efforts to disrupt the much-needed process for curriculum updation.

"Academicians trying to capture media attention through this name-withdrawal spectacle seem to have forgotten that textbooks result from collective intellectual engagement and rigorous efforts,” the statement said. 

In response to scholars' demand of removing their names from the books, the NCERT had earlier made it clear that it has intellectual property rights over the textbooks and was at the liberty to print the names of advisers who were part of the committee between 2005 and 2008.

According to academicians who supported the "rationalisation" exercise, the Indian school curriculum has not been updated for almost two decades.

"The last update of textbooks was done in 2006. The current NCERT team has been making consistent efforts to reduce the burden on students and improve learning outcomes by rationalising the syllabus and making the content relevant according to current needs," the statement said.

“Through misinformation, rumours, and false allegations, they want to derail the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and disrupt the updation of NCERT textbooks,” the statement further said.