In response to the recent controversy over NCERT’s decision to exclude certain elements of the school curriculum, Kerala education minister V Sivankutty urged that the NCERT board be recreated with representatives from all states included. He claimed that NCERT made the decision on behalf of the RSS to saffronise Indian history.
“The decision to exclude certain key portions from NCERT textbook can’t be the decision of NCERT alone, it can only be seen as the decision of BJP govt. They have the same ideologies as RSS and BJP government is implementing the visions of RSS. The NCERT should be reconstituted with representatives from all states,” V Sivankutty alleged. Accusing NCERT of teaching students a ‘communal’ history Sivakutty said Kerala would uphold constitutional values in educational policies.
“Kerala will uphold constitutional values and will give importance to academic interests. India has its own history which was recorded by many. Now NCERT is teaching the new generation a new history based on communalism,” the minister said.
He accused the national government of prioritising a vested political interest over academic interests, and stated that Kerala will not use NCERT textbooks for the 11th and 12th grades.
“we will not use NCERT textbooks in 11th and 12th standards. The central government is giving importance to vested interest rather than academic interests”.
The decision to remove certain sections, particularly those connected to Mughal history, sparked political outrage, with various opposition parties charging it was part of the BJP government’s saffronisation plan. Nonetheless, NCERT claims that it was done as part of the rationalisation process.
