NCERT controversy exposes gaps in text-book approval course of| India Information

The controversy over the now-withdrawn Class 8 social science textbook with a chapter on judicial corruption has highlighted inadequacies of the three-stage course of adopted by the Nationwide Council of Instructional Analysis and Coaching (NCERT) to approve new books that align with the Nationwide Schooling Coverage (NEP) 2020.

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It additionally suggests gaps within the functioning of the 19-member apex Nationwide Syllabus and Educating-Studying Materials Committee (NSTC), which is anticipated to sign-off on the brand new books. HT’s reporting reveals that the members didn’t explicitly approve the e book, with many ignoring the draft of the textual content that was despatched to them over WhatsApp and e-mail. It additionally reveals that the part on judicial corruption in one of many chapters was explicitly flagged to the committee.

The preparation of the brand new textbooks in step with the Nationwide Curriculum Framework- Faculty Schooling (NCF-SE) 2023 follows a three-stage course of.

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The primary stage includes the Textbook Growth Group or TDT –– a separate one for every topic in every class.

That is made up of consultants and types the core group writing a textbook. In its affidavit to the Supreme Court docket on Wednesday, NCERT mentioned the chapter on ‘The Position of Judiciary in Our Society’ was drafted by the related TDT, comprising professor Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar, and authorized researcher and lawyer Alok Prasanna Kumar.

The second stage has the subject-wise Curricular Space Teams (CAGs). These oversee the TDTs and deal with textbooks of a number of courses. Professor Danino additionally heads the CAG for numerous social sciences textbooks.

The third stage has NSTC which identifies consultants and contributors for TDT after which offers last tutorial approval to new books, following which NCERT publishes and distributes the textbook.

In line with the e book improvement course of, every chapter of a NCERT textbook is written by contributors and is finalised by the CAG of that exact topic. The draft of the chapters within the controversial social sciences textbook was positioned earlier than the 35-member CAG of social science in a hybrid assembly in September 2025 for finalisation earlier than it could possibly be introduced to NSTC, HT learns.

“This assembly was attended by NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani, together with different NCERT officers together with those that occur to be members of the NSTC. A number of members of the 13-member Nationwide Oversight Committee (NOC) whose job it’s to make sure the e book sticks to the curriculum framework, additionally attended the assembly,” a NCERT official mentioned on situation of anonymity. “Saklani and few others raised considerations and objections to the controversial chapter on judicial corruption on this specific assembly. However, Danino and others didn’t settle for the strategies and objections citing tutorial freedom and different justifications.”

HT reached out to Danino who mentioned that because the matter was subjudice, he would solely be responding to the whole lot in courtroom.

An official within the Union ministry of training confirmed that NCERT director Saklani objected to the ‘Corruption in Judiciary; part, and to the inclusion of particulars of pendency of instances.

Saklani didn’t reply to a number of calls and emails searching for remark.

However, the e book nonetheless needed to be permitted by NSTC. The method is that NCERT uploads all of the chapters of draft textbooks in a folder and shares them with NSTC members earlier than a gathering of the physique. Nonetheless, on this case, HT has learnt the assembly was by no means known as.

A draft was shared with the members over e-mail and WhatsApp and it isn’t clear who among the many members noticed them and who didn’t. Additionally it is not identified whether or not any of them responded to the draft.

HT learns that the final assembly of NSTC, in hybrid mode, was in June 2025.

NCERT, in its affidavit to apex courtroom on Wednesday, claimed that the draft of the textbook was not positioned earlier than NSTC however was “circulated digitally amongst only some members”. What it didn’t say was that it’s NCERT’s obligation to convene conferences of NSTC for every textbook.

The training ministry official cited above claimed that the rationale NSTC didn’t meet is as a result of its members are very busy. The physique contains lecturers akin to Princeton professor Manjul Bhargava and Sujatha Ramdorai of College of British Columbia who stay and work out of India. Each didn’t reply to HT’s e-mail searching for remark.

The panel additionally contains Shankar Mahadevan, Rajya Sabha MP and creator Sudha Murthy and Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the financial advisory council to the Prime Minister. All three didn’t reply to HT’s messages searching for remark.

“It’s within the phrases of reference of this physique that every one have to fulfill and finalise texts. We later discovered that some members hadn’t even seen the copy of the textbook,’’ mentioned the second official.

“It’s not malafide however there are systemic points which we’ll now repair.”

The shared drafts elicited no objections from NSTC, and in accordance with the primary officer HT spoke to, some members even endorsed the e book in its entirety. HT couldn’t confirm which of them did –– and NCERT’s affidavit is silent on this, attributing the lapse solely to the TDT headed by Professor Danino.

The silence, from some members of NSTC, and the approval from others was taken as a clearance, and the structure and design of the e book had been finalised. Danino, as chairperson of the CAG for social science, then forwarded it to the publication division of the NCERT for printing in January.

NCERT director Saklani within the foreword of the now-withdrawn e book mentioned, “….The textual content integrates the values we need our college students to develop, is rooted within the Indian cultural context and introduces international views in an age-appropriate method.”

He wrote the textbook “succeeded in its curricular objectives: first, to foster pure curiosity amongst college students by way of a correct choice of content material and second, by way of a pedagogical strategy in step with the suggestions of NCF-SE 2023.”

Class 8 social science textbook half 2 was launched on February 23 and withdrawn on February 24. Solely 38 of 82,440 copies printed had been bought, however these had been later retrieved after the Supreme Court docket order on February 27.