The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has reformed its syllabus committee. This follows Supreme Court criticism regarding Class 8 social science textbook content. The court deemed the material an attempt to undermine judicial dignity.
The Supreme Court mandated changes. The previous committee lacked prominent legal experts, according to the court.
Committee Restructure
NCERT established the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC). It has expanded to 20 members. R Venkata Rao, former NLSIU Vice-Chancellor, joins the panel. V Kamakoti, IIT Madras Director, is also a new member. Raghuvendra Tanwar, ICHR Chairman, was appointed.
Three members are no longer on the committee. These are Michel Danino, MD Srinivas, and Bibek Debroy. M.C. Pant remains Chairperson. Manjul Bhargava, Princeton professor, is Co-Chairperson. Sudha Murty, Sanjeev Sanyal, and Shankar Mahadevan also remain.
New Mandate and Challenges
The NSTC will develop syllabi and teaching materials. These must align with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020). The Supreme Court banned the distribution of the withdrawn Class 8 textbook. This new committee faces the task of creating neutral academic content.
The immediate focus is on restoring academic neutrality. The committee will develop future school textbooks. This aims to ensure content accuracy and balance.
