New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has reconstituted its curriculum preparation panel following a controversy over a Class 8 social science textbook used under the CBSE system.
The row centres on a newly added lesson titled “Judicial Corruption”. The Supreme Court strongly criticised the inclusion of the chapter, saying it appeared to be inserted in a manner that could cast a shadow on the judiciary.
The court also directed that the professors involved in preparing the controversial content should not be engaged in future curriculum or textbook work, and said government bodies and government-aided institutions should not associate with them for such publicly funded educational tasks.
Following the order, NCERT has restructured the 20-member Curriculum and Learning Material Committee (NSTC), which has authority over textbook design from Classes 3 to Plus Two. Professors Michael Danino and Srinivasan, and the late Bibek Debroy have been removed from the panel.
To strengthen the process and prevent a recurrence, the reconstituted committee now includes IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti, Indian Council of Historical Research chairperson Raghuvendra Tanwar, former National Law School vice-chancellor Venkata Rao, and NCERT joint director Amarendra Prasad Behera. The committee has been empowered to develop new curricula and make necessary changes to existing syllabi.
