NCERT says 'minor deletions' weren’t notified to avoid confusion

NEW DELHI: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) today clarified that no chapter has been removed or deleted after rationalisation undertaken in academic session 2022-2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Deletion of chapters from NCERT textbooks have triggered controversy as some omissions weren't mentioned in the changes notified and several historians opined that the removal of important history chapters “goes against the constitutional ethos”.

On this, the council informed that the details of rationalisation for each book was uploaded on the official website along with textbook in PDF format while the rationalized textbooks were in printing.

“In view of avoiding any confusion at the level of teachers and students, minor deletion or addition, if any, are not notified. In the context of rationalisation exercise also some minor deletions (a sentence or a word or a phrase, etc.) were done, which were not included in the details of the notification of the rationalisation, as this was under the regular process of reprinting of textbooks,” it said.

The council informed that reprinting of textbooks as per the suggestions of stakeholders is a regular process which takes place every year.

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Rationalisation of NCERT textbooks

Students had to switch to online learning and blended modes to continue their studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also led to a lot of learning and time loss.

“However, concerns related to curriculum and content load across syllabi and textbooks have been raised by different stakeholders. The Parliament Standing Committee has also raised the concern about the same,” the NCERT said.

“In view of facilitating speedy recovery in the learning continuum and compensating time loss of students, NCERT took a step towards the rationalization of textbooks across the stages and subject areas,” it said.

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Further, National Education Policy, 2020 also states, “The reduction in content and increased flexibility of school curriculum - and the renewed emphasis on constructive rather than rote learning - must be accompanied by parallel changes in school textbooks”.

Explaining the rationalisation process, the NCERT said that it conducted discussions with its own faculty members as well as external subject experts in the respective areas.

“Having finalised the criteria for rationalisation, NCERT had rationalised the content of its textbooks across the subjects and stages with the help of committee of experts consisted of 8 to 10 members,” it said. Details of rationalisation had also been sent to CBSE for making changes in their curriculum.

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“NCERT firmly stands on its version that nothing has been removed or deleted after rationalisation undertaken in academic session 2022-2023. The present textbooks in printed and online PDF form are the rationalised textbooks. These had been rationalised for the session 2022-23 and the same textbooks are being continued for the session 2023- 24,” it reiterated.