The high-level committee for social sciences, formed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to update the school curriculum, has proposed that the term ‘India’ should be replaced with ‘Bharat’ in textbooks across all classes. The committee, under the leadership of C I Isaac, has also recommended the inclusion of ‘classical history’ instead of ‘ancient history’ in the curriculum and the integration of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into the syllabus for all subjects. Nonetheless, NCERT officials have clarified that no final decision has been made regarding the committee’s suggestions, according to an official statement.
“The committee has unanimously recommended that the name ‘Bharat’ should be used in textbooks for students across classes. We have also recommended introducing ‘classical history’ instead of ‘ancient history’ in the textbooks,” Isaac said, according to the media reports.
Isaac also mentioned that the committee has suggested highlighting ‘Hindu victories’ in various battles within the textbooks. He noted that while the textbooks currently emphasise our failures, they do not adequately mention our successes in battles against the Mughals and sultans. Isaac, who is also a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), expressed this viewpoint.
The revision of school textbook curriculum by NCERT aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020. Recently, the council established a 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) with the task of finalising the curriculum, textbooks, and learning materials for these classes, the statement mentioned.
With inputs from PTI.