The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Thursday constituted a committee of experts to examine the feedback about the content in a few textbooks. The move came three days after Chaitanya Raj Singh, the head of Jaisalmer’s former royal family, raised concerns over alleged historical inaccuracies in one of NCERT’s newly released textbooks.
Singh objected to a map in the Class 8 Social Science textbook depicting Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha Empire. He described the portrayal as “historically misleading, factless, and seriously objectionable,” claiming it misrepresents the role and territory of Rajput and Maratha rulers.
In a statement on Thursday, NCERT said it follows an established process of forming expert committees comprising high-level experts from reputed institutions and faculty members from the relevant subject area to review substantial feedback on textbook content or pedagogy.
As a follow-up to the National Education Policy 2020, NCERT has been releasing new textbooks for Classes 5 to 8 under the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE). “Aligned with the curricular goals and competencies as given in the NCFs, NCERT has brought out teaching-learning material, including textbooks. These curricular resources, including textbooks, receive regular feedback and suggestions from various stakeholders,” the NCERT said.
The NCERT has faced criticism from historians for its revised Class 8 Social Science textbook that labels Mughal emperor Babur as “ruthless,” Akbar as both “brutal and tolerant,” and Aurangzeb as intolerant and destructive.
{{/usCountry}}The NCERT has faced criticism from historians for its revised Class 8 Social Science textbook that labels Mughal emperor Babur as “ruthless,” Akbar as both “brutal and tolerant,” and Aurangzeb as intolerant and destructive.
{{/usCountry}}In a note, the NCERT advised readers not to hold present-day individuals or communities accountable for historical events. Critics have called the portrayals ideologically driven.
NCERT Curricular Area Group for Social Science Michel Danino defended the changes, saying they aim to present unsanitised historical facts without bias.