The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has restructured the team responsible for creating new political science textbooks for Classes 11 and 12. This initiative aims to incorporate elements such as cultural rootedness, Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), equity and inclusion, value education, and educational technology into the curriculum. The reconstitution of the team reflects NCERT’s commitment to enhancing educational content in alignment with contemporary educational goals.
Members of Textbook Development Team Linked to RSS Affiliates
The recently announced 20-member Textbook Development Team (TDT) includes at least four individuals with established connections to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), along with other Sangh-affiliated organizations. This notification was made on August 14, raising concerns about potential biases in educational materials.
The team will be headed by academic and political analyst Sandeep Shastri, vice-president of Nitte (deemed to be a university), Bengaluru. JNU’s profile records his research interests in culture and nationalism. The team also includes academics and educators from JNU, Delhi University, National Law University Delhi, Chanakya University, National University of Study and Research in Law, Jindal Global Law School, Pondicherry University, Utkal University and IGNOU. A Textbook Core Group comprising members of the NSTC and the National Curriculum Framework Oversight Committee will periodically review progress and provide feedback on draft chapters.
It has been asked to complete the Class 11 textbook by November 30 this year and the Class 12 textbook by July 30, 2027, in line with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. NTA tightens vetting rules for subject experts after sacking 600 amid exam row Ravi Rameshchandra Shukla, associate professor at JNU’s Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, has served on the editorial board of the Indian Journal of Democratic Governance, published by the Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership, which operates under the RSS-affiliated Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini.
Each textbook will also be reviewed for integration of themes including “cultural rootedness, Indian Knowledge Systems, inclusion, educational technology, assessment, etc.”
