NCERT reconstitutes textbook committee after Supreme Court rap

The National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), which overlooks the formulation of new textbooks, has been reconstituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), following Supreme Court’s intervention on a section of “corruption in the judiciary,” in the now discontinued Class 8 social science textbook. 

In an April 2 notification, accessed by The Hindu, the NCERT stated that it had reconstituted the 22-member high power committee, which now includes IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti; and Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) Chairman Raghuvendra Tanwar; R. Venkata Rao, former Vice-Chancellor of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU); and Amarendra Prasad Behera, Joint Director-in-Charge, Central Institute of Educational Technology, NCERT. The committee now consists of 20 members

Three members — Michel Danino, former guest professor at IIT Gandhinagar; M.D. Srinivas, chairman of the Centre for Policy Studies, Chennai and the late Bibek Debroy, former chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC), have been removed from the NSTC. 

Mr. Danino’s removal from the NSTC comes after the apex court’s order stating that the Centre, States, union territories, universities, and public institutions should dissociate from three members of the textbook development team who drafted the Class 8 social science textbook chapter on the judiciary under question.

The Supreme Court in February had taken up suo motu cognisance of the Class 8 social science textbook released in February which discussed a section on “corruption in the judiciary,” and later imposed a “complete blanket ban,” on use of physical or online copies of the said textbook.

The NCERT has reconstituted the committee nearly three years after first constituting it in July 2023. “In view of the requirement of strengthening the said committee through necessary updates, including additional members, the reconstitution of the NSTC has been undertaken,” the notification mentions. 

The committee is empowered to develop the school syllabus, and teaching-learning material, including textbooks for Grades 3 to 12 (and if required to appropriately revise the existing textbooks of Grades 1 and 2 to ensure smooth transition from Grade 2 to 3), the notification states.

The NCERT has retained former National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) Chancellor M.C. Pant as the chairperson, along with Princeton University math professor Manjul Bhargava as the co-chairperson in the reconstituted NSTC. Other 14 members of the old committee, including Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty, singer Shankar Mahadevan, Chamu Krishna Shastry, chairman, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, EAC-PM member Sanjeev Sanyal have also been retained. 

Since its formulation, the NSTC has been tasked with developing the school syllabus and new textbooks, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023.

The first notification in July 2023, which formulated the NSTC, also mentioned formation of curricular area groups (CAGs) with Mr. Danino heading the CAG for Social Science. The current notification which mentions reconstitution of the NSTC does not mention CAGs. 

The new notification also states that the NSTC will be assisted by textbook development teams in developing syllabi and textbooks for each subject. 

“The NSTC will be free to invite other experts for advice, consultation, and support as and when required in consultation with the NCERT. The NSTC will be assisted by a programme office set up by the NCERT, and the NCERT shall provide all necessary expertise and support as per the needs of the NSTC,” it adds.