Editing History

Selective deletions of significant passages in textbooks on Indian history in the name of rationalisation of school curricula once again stoke fears of the politicisation of education

- Kaushik Deka

ON writing about the past, Winston S. Churchill once wryly remarked, "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." What the former British premier said in jest is being hurled at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in earnest as a huge controversy has erupted over revisions in the textbooks for middle and high school students, which the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) released for students earlier this month. Accusations flew thick and fast over the changes, particularly with regard to recent history, as critics accused the Narendra Modi government of using the country's premier curriculum-setting body to whitewash events that are uncomfortable for the saffron dispensation. The NCERT defended its actions saying the deletions were made public last June and were part of a "rationalisation process" to ease the curriculum load on students and help them make a "speedy recovery" from the learning disruptions caused during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also said its changes were in line with what was laid down in the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, asking for a reduction in content. As a result, the NCERT has trimmed almost 30 per cent of the syllabus across subjects in the past five years.