NCERT chief affirms interchangeable use of 'Bharat' and 'India' in textbooks amid 'useless' curriculum debate

NCERT textbooks will use "Bharat" and "India" interchangeably, according to National Council of Educational Research and Training Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani.

Team Asianet Newsable

First Published Jun 17, 2024, 9:41 PM IST

NCERT textbooks will use "Bharat" and "India" interchangeably, according to National Council of Educational Research and Training Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani. This approach aligns with the country's Constitution. Saklani's statement is significant given a high-level panel's recent recommendation to replace "India" with "Bharat" in school textbooks across all grades.

During an interaction with PTI editors, Saklani emphasized that the council has no preference for either term, affirming that both will be used in educational materials.

"It is interchangeable....our position is what our Constitution says and we uphold that. We can use Bharat, we can use India, what is the problem? We are not in that debate. Wherever it suits we will use India, wherever it suits we will use Bharat. We have no aversion to either India or Bharat," he told PTI.

"You can see both being used in our textbooks already and that will continue in new textbooks. This is a useless debate," Saklani added.

Last year, a high-level committee for social sciences, formed by the NCERT to revise the school curriculum, recommended replacing "India" with "Bharat" in textbooks for all classes.

Committee chairperson C I Isaac stated that they proposed using "Bharat" instead of "India," introducing "classical history" in place of "ancient history" in the curriculum, and incorporating the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into the syllabus for all subjects.

"The committee has unanimously recommended that the name Bharat should be used in the textbooks for students across classes. Bharat is an age-old name. The name Bharat has been used in ancient texts, such as Vishnu Purana, which is 7,000 years old," Isaac had told PTI.

The NCERT previously stated that no decision had been made on the panel's recommendations. The name "Bharat" gained official recognition last year when the government issued G20 invitations under the title "President of Bharat" instead of "President of India." Subsequently, during the summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nameplate also read "Bharat" instead of "India."

NCERT is now facing controversy over the revised Class 12 political science textbook, which omits mention of the Babri Masjid, referring to it instead as a "three-domed structure." The latest textbook revisions exclude references to the BJP's 'rath yatra' from Somnath to Ayodhya, the role of kar sevaks, the communal violence following the Babri Masjid demolition, President's rule in BJP-ruled states, and the BJP's expression of "regret over the happenings at Ayodhya."

Additionally, the new Class 11 political science textbook asserts that political parties prioritize the interests of minority groups for "vote bank politics," leading to "minority appeasement."

This represents a significant shift from the 2023-24 academic session's content, which encouraged students to consider that there is "little evidence" suggesting that vote bank politics favors minorities in the country.

Last Updated Jun 17, 2024, 9:41 PM IST