Question : External Expert Consultants for NCERT Textbooks

(a) the details of external expert consultations held as part of the recent NCERT textbook rationalisation exercise, including the qualifications of experts and number of such consultations;

(b) the reasons for consulting external experts instead of social scientists associated with the NCERT;

(c) whether the changes as part of the rationalisation exercise are temporary or permanent, given that the objective of the exercise is to ease learning in a post-COVID world and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether a standard criteria was applied to determine the portions to be retained and deleted from NCERT textbooks; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a): The details of the external experts engaged by various subject departments of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as part of the rationalisation exercise along with the number of consultations held are at Annexure-I. NCERT also held a consultation meeting with the teachers nominated by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to discuss the rationalisation exercise done across the subject areas. The details of the teachers who attended this meeting are at Annexure-II.

(b): Aside from NCERT in-house experts, NCERT has informed that they seek expertise of subject experts from Universities/Organisations and practicing teachers in all its activities related to Research, Development, Training and Extension for wider consultation.
(c): During the COVID-19 pandemic situation, students across the stages of school education have struggled a lot to continue their learning through online and other modes. Also, concerns related to curriculum load including the content load spread over syllabi and textbooks have been raised from different corners. Further, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 states that ‘the reduction in content and increased flexibility of school curriculum and the renewed emphasis on constructive rather than rote learning must be accompanied by parallel changes in school textbooks’. With a view to facilitate speedy recovery in students learning continuum and compensating time loss, NCERT took a step towards the rationalisation of textbooks across the stages and subject areas.
(d) and (e): NCERT has informed that the following criteria were developed for the rationalisation of content load:
a. Overlapping with similar content included in other subject area in the same class;
b. Similar content included in the lower or higher class in same subject ;
c. Difficulty level;
d. Content, which is easily accessible to children and does not require much intervention from the teachers and can be learned through self-learning or peer learning;
e. Content, which is not relevant in the present context or outdated;
f. Taking care of the Learning Outcomes already developed across the classes.
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