:
(a) whether the Government has constituted a three
member committee of eminent historians to review the
existing NCERT school history books along with other
subjects;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the terms and
conditions of the committee;
(
(c) whether the existing history books would be studied
by the students for the academic year 2004-05;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the steps being taken to protect students’ future in
view of changes in the textbooks?
THE MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI ARJUN SINGH)
(a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the Sabha.
THE STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN PARTS (a) to (e) OF THE REPLY
TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 106 BY SHRI C.K.
CHANDRAPPAN AND SHRI TATHAGATA SATPATHY REGARDING NCERT
BOOKS DUE FOR ANSWER ON 13TH JULY, 2004.
(a) & (e) Yes, Sir. The panel comprises three eminent
historians, namely, Prof. S. Settar, currently Dr. S.
Radhakrishnan visiting Professor at the National Institute
of Advanced Studies, Bangalore and formerly the Chairman of
the Indian Council of Historical Research, Prof. J.S.
Grewal, former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University
and former Director of Indian Institute of Advanced Studies
at Shimla and Prof. Barun De., an eminent historian of
modern India and first Director of the Maulana Abdul Kalam
Azad Institute for Asian Studies, Kolkata. The Terms of
Reference of the panel were as follows:-
“The issues of communalisation and inadequacies of
history textbooks of the NCERT have engaged public and
academic attention for a long time. These text-books
have been mostly printed for the current year and in a
substantial number of schools teaching work has already
started, based on these books. It is, therefore,
impractical to withdraw these books at this stage and
replace them with more appropriate books without
causing dislocation in the studies of millions of
students. However, the same impracticability should
not result in our children learning either communal
views or distorted facts of history. Even as the
processes are initiated to address the long term
remedial measures, including reconstitution of Central
Advisory Board of Education (CABE) and the initiation
of the process of curriculum frame-work review, as a
short term measure, it has been considered necessary to
do a quick review of these books by a panel of eminent
historians of impeccable credentials, to suggest what
needs to be done in the short term. If they so
recommend, the Government will direct the NCERT and the
CBSE to issue appropriate directions to the teachers to
transact the curriculum as per those recommendations.
In particular, the recommendations should be for
removing distorted and communally biased portions and
for inclusion of short passages which will fill in the
gaps that some of these books are supposed to be having
or could develop after the removal of the aforesaid
mentioned passages. The three distinguished historians
have been requested by the Government to submit their
recommendations at the earliest so that the
interventions could be made, if necessary, as early as
possible, in the academic session that has already
started in some schools in the country. Joint
Secretary (School Education) in the Ministry of Human
Resource Development will provide secretariat and
logistics support to this group.â€
The panel has submitted its report. I regret to inform
the House that the complaints made about the errors and
biased nature of the books, have been found to be correct by
the panel.
Among other things, the report brings out the
following:
The textbooks prepared since 2000 are ‘so full of
errors and sub-standard’ that the panel finds it impossible
to recommend their continuation. The errors are so many
that rectification of each one of them is almost impossible.
It also states that there is a common strand of bias
that runs through the entire series. This bias gives more
weight to Hindu religious practices and revival movements
distinguished from other religious or modernizing traditions
that have been, in the last one thousand years, as much, a
part of India’s composite culture as the ones of earlier
origin.
They, therefore, propose that a list of alternative
reading material viz. books prepared by private publishers
may be recommended for students of Class VI to X for the
current academic year till alternative material prepared,
through due process, is prepared by the NCERT in time for
the next academic year.
The Panel is aware of the fact that alternative
material is unavailable for classes XI and XII at present.
The three members have made suggestions that either on the
existing books or on reviving the old books, it would be
necessary to issue proper advisories to teachers. Whereas,
Prof.Barun De has suggested that, the book on ‘Modern
India’ by Bipan Chandra for Class XII should be revived, if
necessary, by updating it. Prof.Grewal has similarly
suggested that the book on ‘Medieval India’ by Satish
Chandra should be revived with a proper advisory. For the
‘Ancient Period’, Prof. Settar has suggested further
scouting for alternative reading material.
The findings of the Committee have put the Government
in a very difficult situation. On the one hand, because the
panel has found the books to be of unacceptable quality and
content, it is not appropriate to continue with them. On
the other, the academic session has begun quite some time
back in some schools and it would be unfair to students and
teachers to be asked to use different textbooks at this late
stage. Making available alternative text throughout the
country will also pose serious problems of logistics and
cannot be arranged in a satisfactory manner till very late
in the academic session. At the moment, the Government is
trying to address this serious dilemma which has been caused
by the distortion of history books
The recommendations of the panel of historians will be
put up for consideration of the Executive Committee (EC) of
the NCERT in its meeting on the 14th July, 2004. While
taking a decision, the EC will no doubt keep the interest of
students as their foremost concern.