A Parliamentary committee on education has called for a review of how Indian freedom fighters are depicted in school history textbooks and recommended that “ancient wisdom and knowledge” from the Vedas be incorporated into the school curriculum, stating that educational content for students should be “free of biases.”
The report of the standing committee tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, November 30, also highlights the importance of including Sikh and Maratha history in the curriculum, as well as gender-inclusive literature.
Notably, the standing committee which is headed by BJP MP Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe, has ten Rajya Sabha members on it, including four from the BJP and one each from the TMC (Sushmita Dev), CPM (Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya), DMK (RS Bharathi), AIADMK (M Thambidurai), SP (Vishambhar Prasad Nishad), SP (Vishambhar Prasad Nishad), SP (Vishambhar Prasad Nishad (Akhilesh Prasad Singh). Besides, it has 21 Lok Sabha members, 12 of whom are from BJP, two from Congress, and one each from the TMC, CPM, JD(U), Shiv Sena, YSRCP, DMK and BJD.
“There is a need for discussing and reviewing, with leading historians, the manner in which Indian freedom fighters, from various regions/parts of the country and their contributions get place in History textbooks. This will result in a more balanced and judicious perception of the Indian freedom struggle. This will go a long way in giving due and proper space to the freedom fighters hitherto unknown and oblivious in the freedom movement. Review of representation of community identity-based history as of Sikh and Maratha history and others and their adequate incorporation in the textbooks will help in a more judicious perspective of their contribution,” the report mentioned.
The committee has said in its report that the NCERT and the state SCERTs should “incorporate the ancient wisdom, knowledge and teachings about life and society from Vedas and other great Indian texts/ books in the school curriculum”.
“Also, educational methodologies adopted in the ancient Universities like Nalanda, Vikramshila and Takshila should be studied and suitably modified to serve as a model reference for teachers…” it added.
The report also details some of the committee’s “observations” such as the fact that numerous historical figures and freedom fighters from India’s independence struggle have been shown in a “incorrect manner as offenders.” It was also suggested that the NCERT review the rules for developing history textbooks so that the various ages, periods, and events are given equal weight and priority in history textbooks.
“Similarly, it was observed that school textbooks do not give adequate coverage to some of the great Indian empires like that of Vikramaditya, Cholas, Chalukyas, Vijaynagar, Gondwana or that of Travancore and Ahoms of North-Eastern region, whose contributions in the expansion of India’s standing on the world stage cannot be ignored,” the report stated.
The research recommended that the curriculum should contain sections on contributions by leading figures like Mahasweta Devi, Kalpana Chawla, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Kittur Chennamma, M S Subbulakshmi, and Savitribai Phule, among others because women are underrepresented in school textbooks.
According to reports, the committee had stated another recommendation in the report which was adopted on November 26. It has said that textbooks should be free of biases and “instill a commitment to values enshrined in the constitution” apart from promoting national integration and unity.”
The committee had begun work on a report on school textbook revisions, with an emphasis on deleting references to “un-historical facts and distortions” regarding India’s national heroes, guaranteeing proportionate references to all periods of Indian history, and highlighting the role of women achievers.
Meanwhile, the Indian History Congress (IHC), which also filed a deposition, strongly opposed the committee’s recommendations, saying, “While a review process is always necessary, this should be done involving recognized scholars from all over the country and with adequate attention to the academic content, derived from a research-based understanding of different historical periods.”
Report presented before Parliamentary Committee on education says Islamic invaders given more importance in NCERT books
OpIndia has previously reported that a research report published by a prestigious think tank in July, 2021, presented before the Parliamentary Committee on education has stated that History textbooks published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and textbooks issued by the Kerala government give disproportionate attention to Mughal rulers, caste issues and barely mentions the achievements of Hindu kings, Indian saints, social reformers etc.
