Dharmendra Pradhan, union education minister has moved to alleviate concerns regarding the purported removal of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution from NCERT textbooks, stating that “no such thing has occurred.” In response to the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged exclusion of Darwin’s theory and the periodic table from science books, Pradhan publicly affirmed that these claims are baseless.
After the controversy broke out, Pradhan spoke to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which is an autonomous body, and sought details, the minister said. “According to them, experts had advised that during COVID-19, some repetitive parts could be reduced and later brought back. So the content in Classes 8 and 9 is unchanged. In the book of Class 10, some portion related to the theory of evolution was omitted last year, and it is unchanged in Classes 11 and 12,” he said.
There is a view that students who would not study science after grade 10th would miss out on some specific subjects related to Darwin’s theory of evolution, which is a valid point, the minister conceded.
“Periodic table is taught in grade 9th and is also being taught in grades 11th and 12th. As per the NCERT, one or two examples (related to the theory of evolution) were omitted. But I would like to assure you that the National Education Policy is being implemented, and as per that policy, new textbooks are being prepared,” Pradhan added.
With inputs from PTI.