NCERT's Textbook Revisions Questioned for Lack of Neutrality

The Consequences of Politicisation in Educational Content

Newsreel Asia Insight #254
June 17, 2024

The revisions in the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) Class 12 political science textbook significantly omit historical events related to Ayodhya, raising questions about the political neutrality of the textbook’s content. The revised textbooks, which were introduced into the market recently, have sparked controversy, particularly regarding the depiction of the Babri Masjid and key political events surrounding the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.

The new textbooks start the narrative of the Ayodhya issue from the Supreme Court’s verdict given on Nov. 9, 2019, completely omitting the earlier events like the demolition of the Babri Masjid on Dec. 6, 1992, as reported by The Indian Express. The textbooks now describe the Babri Masjid as a “three-domed structure” and have reduced the content on Ayodhya from four to two pages focusing mainly on the 2019 judgment that allowed for the temple’s construction.

Further, according to a report by PTI, other significant omissions in the textbook include references to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) “rath yatra” from Somnath to Ayodhya led by BJP leader L.K. Advani in 1990, the involvement of kar sevaks, the demolition of the Babri Masjid, President’s rule in BJP-ruled states and the BJP’s expressed “regret over the happenings at Ayodhya.”

On Dec. 6, 1992, the Babri Masjid was demolished by a large group of kar sevaks, an event that Advani and the BJP allegedly supported, leading to widespread communal violence across India. Advani was acquitted of his role in the demolition, with the judge saying at the time that “the evidence presented by law enforcement authorities was insufficient for convictions.”

However, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the immediate aftermath saw over 2,000 people killed, with the violence spreading to cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, marking one of the darkest chapters in India’s post-independence history.

Satyendra Das Maharaj, the chief priest of Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, also expressed dissatisfaction regarding the omission of this context, which is essential for a more comprehensive understanding of the issue by school students.

Maharaj criticised the textbook for not providing a detailed account of the events of Dec. 6, 1992, and Dec. 22, 1949, when Lord Ram Lalla’s statue reportedly appeared at the mosque premises, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani defended these omissions, arguing against the inclusion of the 2002 Gujarat riots and the Babri Masjid demolition in the curriculum.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Saklani justified the exclusions by stating that an expert committee advised that “mentioning a few selectively is not good” and asserted that history should not be used as a battleground. He added that the revisions were based on feedback from experts to accommodate the Supreme Court's 2019 judgment on the dispute.

In an interview with PTI, Saklani suggested that school textbooks should aim to create positive citizens rather than exposing them to violent and depressing content.

What Solanki failed to explain was why Ayodhya should even be mentioned if the issue necessitates violent and depressing content as an essential ingredient for a more complete understanding of the issue.

NCERT’s commitment to political neutrality in its educational content is governed by the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), which explicitly requires an unbiased education that adheres to constitutional values such as secularism and egalitarianism. It stresses the need to promote peace, democratic values and prejudice-free knowledge through presenting diverse perspectives and promoting critical thinking. It also requires that the curriculum promotes a national identity and a sense of common citizenship by incorporating multiple perspectives to develop well-informed individuals.

However, a politicised curriculum can skew students’ perceptions of political, historical and social issues from an early age, potentially leading to polarisation within educational environments and hindering open debate. It can also cause students to disengage if they feel the curriculum doesn’t reflect their values, potentially impacting academic achievement and participation. Over time, such education can erode social cohesion and negatively affect a country’s international reputation, with those nations known for balanced education seen more favourably than those perceived as using education for indoctrination.