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Book controversy reveals gaps in NCERT process
The controversy over the now-withdrawn Class 8 social science textbook with a chapter on judicial corruption has highlighted inadequacies of the three-stage process followed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to approve new books that align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
The controversy over the now-withdrawn Class 8 social science textbook with a chapter on judicial corruption has highlighted inadequacies of the three-stage process followed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to approve new books that align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
It also suggests gaps in the functioning of the 19-member apex National Syllabus and Teaching-Learning Material Committee (NSTC), which is expected to sign-off on the new books. HT’s reporting shows that the members did not explicitly approve the book, with many ignoring the draft of the text that was sent to them over WhatsApp and e-mail. It also shows that the section on judicial corruption in one of the chapters was explicitly flagged to the committee.
The preparation of the new textbooks in line with the National Curriculum Framework- School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 follows a three-stage process.
The first stage involves the Textbook Development Team or TDT –– a separate one for each subject in each class. This is made up of experts and forms the core group writing a textbook. In its affidavit to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, NCERT said the chapter on ‘The Role of Judiciary in Our Society’ was drafted by the relevant TDT, comprising professor Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar, and legal researcher and lawyer Alok Prasanna Kumar.
The second stage has the subject-wise Curricular Area Groups (CAGs). These oversee the TDTs and handle textbooks of several classes. Professor Danino also heads the CAG for various social sciences textbooks.
The third stage has NSTC which identifies experts and contributors for TDT and then gives final academic approval to new books, following which NCERT publishes and distributes the textbook.
According to the book development process, each chapter of a NCERT textbook is written by contributors and is finalised by the CAG of that particular subject. The draft of the chapters in the controversial social sciences textbook was placed before the 35-member CAG of social science in a hybrid meeting in September 2025 for finalisation before it could be presented to NSTC, HT learns.
“This meeting was attended by NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani, along with other NCERT officials including those who happen to be members of the NSTC. Several members of the 13-member National Oversight Committee (NOC) whose job it is to ensure the book sticks to the curriculum framework, also attended the meeting,” a NCERT official said on condition of anonymity. “Saklani and few others raised concerns and objections to the controversial chapter on judicial corruption in this particular meeting. But, Danino and others did not accept the suggestions and objections citing academic freedom and other justifications.”
HT reached out to Danino who said that as the matter was subjudice, he would only be responding to everything in court.
An official in the Union ministry of education confirmed that NCERT director Saklani objected to the ‘Corruption in Judiciary; section, and to the inclusion of details of pendency of cases.
Saklani did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment.
But, the book still had to be approved by NSTC. The process is that NCERT uploads all the chapters of draft textbooks in a folder and shares them with NSTC members before a meeting of the body. However, in this case, HT has learnt the meeting was never called. A draft was shared with the members over email and WhatsApp and it is not clear who among the members saw them and who didn’t. It is also not known whether any of them responded to the draft.
HT learns that the last meeting of NSTC, in hybrid mode, was in June 2025.
NCERT, in its affidavit to apex court on Wednesday, claimed that the draft of the textbook was not placed before NSTC but was “circulated digitally among only a few members”. What it didn’t say was that it is NCERT’s duty to convene meetings of NSTC for each textbook.
The education ministry official cited above claimed that the reason NSTC did not meet is because its members are very busy. The body includes academics such as Princeton professor Manjul Bhargava and Sujatha Ramdorai of University of British Columbia who live and work out of India. Both did not respond to HT’s email seeking comment.
The panel also includes Shankar Mahadevan, Rajya Sabha MP and author Sudha Murthy and Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the economic advisory council to the Prime Minister. All three did not respond to HT’s messages seeking comment.
“It is in the terms of reference of this body that all have to meet and finalise texts. We later found that some members hadn’t even seen the copy of the textbook,’’ said the second official. “It’s not malafide but there are systemic issues which we will now fix.”
The shared drafts elicited no objections from NSTC, and according to the first officer HT spoke to, some members even endorsed the book in its entirety. HT could not ascertain which ones did –– and NCERT’s affidavit is silent on this, attributing the lapse solely to the TDT headed by Professor Danino.
The silence, from some members of NSTC, and the approval from others was taken as a clearance, and the layout and design of the book were finalised. Danino, as chairperson of the CAG for social science, then forwarded it to the publication division of the NCERT for printing in January.
NCERT director Saklani in the foreword of the now-withdrawn book said, “....The text integrates the values we desire our students to develop, is rooted in the Indian cultural context and introduces global perspectives in an age-appropriate manner.” He wrote the textbook “succeeded in its curricular goals: first, to foster natural curiosity among students through a proper selection of content and second, through a pedagogical approach in line with the recommendations of NCF-SE 2023.”
Class 8 social science textbook part 2 was released on February 23 and withdrawn on February 24. Only 38 of 82,440 copies printed were sold, but these were later retrieved after the Supreme Court order on February 27.
