Over 71 academicians have issued a statement regarding “false propaganda” being spread against the top educational research institution amid the controversy surrounding the removal of specific sections of syllabi by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as part of its effort to reduce the content load on students. “Through misinformation, rumours, and false allegations, they want to derail the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and disrupt the updation of NCERT textbooks,” the statement signed by Prof. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Prof Dhananjay Singh, Member Secretary, the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) among others read. “In the past three months, there have been deliberate attempts to malign the NCERT, a leading public institution, and disrupt the much-needed process for curriculum updation,” the statement which has been signed by leading academicians from the country’s top educational institutions including vice-chancellors of central universities and IIM chairpersons read.
Hitting back at academicians for withdrawing their names as advisors from the NCERT, the statement said the “name-withdrawal spectacle” is just to “capture media attention”. They “seem to have forgotten that textbooks are an outcome of collective intellectual engagement and rigorous efforts,” the statement read.
Explaining the changes in the textbooks, the statement said, “The scholars who have suggested the changes in the textbook have not suggested any epistemic rupture in the existing domain of knowledge but just rationalised the course content as per contemporary knowledge need.”
Responding to the question of who decides what is “unacceptable” or “desirable” for students, the academicians said, “Every new generation has the right to make additions or deletion to the existing knowledge base.”
The process of selection of the scholars for deciding the syllabi was “thoroughly liberal, democratic and humanistic,” they said adding that the selection process was far more “transparent and ethically justified” than previous committees.
Responding to questions on academic freedom, pedagogic integrity. and institutional propriety, the academicians said that the NCERT Director had clarified that a rigorous process was followed to maintain a high level of standards.
Pointing out the long overdue need for the updation of school curriculum, the academicians said that school curriculum in India has not been updated for nearly two decades and the last updation of textbooks was done in 2006.
Hitting back at those opposing the changes in the NCERT textbooks, the academicians called it their “intellectual arrogance.” “In their effort to pursue their political agenda, they are willing to jeopardise the future of crores of youngsters all throughout the country. Updated textbooks are highly anticipated by students, but these academics keep putting up barriers and derailing the process”, they claimed.