Mughal history whitewashed in textbooks, educationists tell House panel

At its assembly on textbook reforms on Wednesday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education heard shows from right-wing organisations and educationists, together with the person on the centre of a debate on the “saffronisation” of textbooks underneath the Vajpayee authorities. They argued that Mughal history is being whitewashed in Indian textbooks, and crowding out house for history from the Vedic period.

The panel’s agenda for the assembly was to take away “references to un-historical facts and distortions about our national heroes”, to make sure “equal or proportionate references to all periods of Indian history” and to focus on the position of nice girls in Indian history.

“It has been over two decades since textbook reforms have been discussed at the platform of a Parliamentary Committee. We thought it fit to apply our mind considering the new National Education Policy is in place and new syllabus is being written,” committee chairman and senior BJP chief Vinay Sahasrabuddhe advised The Hindu.

On Wednesday, the panel heard depositions from educationists J.S. Rajput and Shankar Sharan, in addition to two right-wing leaning organisations, the Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal and the Shiksha Sanskriti Nyas.

From 1999 to 2004, Dr. Rajput was director of the physique accountable for drafting college textbooks and setting the nationwide curricular framework, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). During his tenure, he spearheaded a technique of controversial textbook revision, which critics have slammed as a communalisation of Indian history.

According to sources, each Mr. Rajput and Mr. Saran argued that the quantity of house given to the Mughal period versus the reign of Hindu kings wanted to be balanced. They argued that Indian history was falsely written as if overseas rule existed just for 200 years of the British raj, with out bearing in mind the 1,000 years earlier than that. The Mughal period had been whitewashed, and their position as invaders had been muted, they claimed.

The two proper leaning organisations additionally spoke on related traces, asserting that there was want for youngsters to be taught “Indian Culture” from Vedic period onwards. The affect of Marxist historians on the Indian textbooks wanted to be corrected, the witnesses advised the committee.

“In today’s meeting, no member raised any objection, because these were merely depositions and there is no need for us to rectify their positions,” one of many members mentioned.

NCERT revising textbooks

NCERT is presently in the method of revising textbooks, and is prone to full the method by 2024. Some members of the committee advised that it must be speeded as much as 2022 as a substitute. One member really useful that the Education Ministry think about change greater training syllabi as effectively, to make sure that it aligns with the modifications in college textbooks.

Director of NCERT, CBSE Chairman and Secretary of School Education have been current on the assembly. Sources mentioned that it was determined that they’d depose at a later date. “This is only the first meeting. Many more stakeholders will be heard,” one other member mentioned. Anyone who wrote to the committee could be invited to provide their views, added one other member.

On Tuesday, the committee mentioned the difficulty of the educational gaps precipitated resulting from COVID-19 disruptions. Two States which have partially reopened their colleges, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, mentioned they’d solely 30-40% attendance to date.