NCERT has polluted the minds of kids for far too long, now Modi govt is planning a complete overhaul of school textbooks

In the backdrop of an RTI reply by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) stating that it has no record or files pertaining to the false information incorporated in relation to Mughal tyrant Aurungzeb in the history textbooks published by it, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Wednesday met with Representatives of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-linked Bharatiya Shiksha Mandal and Shiksha Sanskriti Nyas, and educationists JS Rajput and Shankar Sharan, to discuss the revision of history textbooks used in schools across India. BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe heads the committee.

The NCERT history textbook for class 12, titled ‘Themes of Indian History’, falsely claims in one of the paragraphs, “All Mughal emperors gave grants to support the building and maintenance of places of worship. Even when temples were destroyed during the war, grants were later issued for their repair – as we know from the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.”

This coupled with the fact that NCERT has no evidence of the assertion, has invited massive outrage on social media. As such, the meeting of the parliamentary committee to hear depositions of various stakeholders assumes unapparelled significance. It is no less than an indication of the fact that the Modi government is finally initiating a massive overhaul of the history syllabus taught to susceptible young minds across the country.

For far too long, the history textbooks – replete with Marxist lies, have been indoctrinating young minds into believing a version of history that is highly distorted and corrupted. Foreign invaders continue to be glorified in Indian history textbooks, even as the civilisational ethos of the subcontinent is not even minutely reflected in the current history curriculum. However, the government is now looking to change the same.

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education chairman and senior BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, speaking on the issue, said, “It has been over two decades since textbook reforms have been discussed at the platform of a Parliamentary Committee. We thought it fit to apply our mind considering the new National Education Policy is in place and new syllabus is being written.”

Reportedly, the committee had met to discuss the need to remove references to ‘un-historical facts and distortions about our national heroes’, to ensure ‘proportionate references to all periods of Indian history’ and to ‘highlight the role of great women in Indian history’.

Read more: NCERT’s glorification of Aurangzeb backfires as they couldn’t produce a single source to prove the tyrant’s greatness

Apart from members of the committee, the meeting was attended by ex-NCERT director JS Rajput and Professor at the NCERT Shankar Sharan, as well as representatives of the BharatiyaShikshan Mandal and the Shiksha SanskritiNyas. The Shikshan Mandal emphasised the need to write history books while paying close attention to India’s cultural unity and linguistic heritage.

The Mandal also proposed to incorporate various themes in the history textbooks, such as the glorious history of sacrifices of various segments of Indian society for preserving cultural values, civilisational development of the subcontinent from the Vedic ages to the present, social inclusion and India and its cultural boundaries.

The Indian Express has reported that the department of school education in its submission before the parliamentary committee informed members that NCERT is in the process of setting up a panel to analyse and address complaints with regard to “un-historical facts and distortions” about national heroes and events.

The NCERT and various boards of education are currently in the process of revamping their curricula across subjects and streams to bring the same in sync with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2020. Now, simultaneously, the Modi government is also pushing for a complete overhaul of the history syllabi taught to students across the country. Long overdue, the false glorification of Mughals and their predecessors will finally be dumped in the trash can, and true Indian history will be incorporated in the history textbooks of the country.