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The Supreme Court today allowed the NCERT to publish books relating to the new national curriculum framework for secondary education on all subjects except Hindi and social sciences, including history and religion. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice S.P Bharucha made this modification on applications moved by the Centre and the NCERT.
Reacting to the ruling, NCERT director J.S. Rajput confidently said: “I do not think we will get an adverse order from the court. Our books will be cleared (for publication).”
Asked whether the history and social science textbooks have already been printed by the NCERT and the course of action in case of an adverse order, Rajput said' “The manuscripts are ready. Most of the books have been printed. We hope we will not have to snap, the books. But we would abide by the court. Crores of rupess have been spent to prepare the books and the process took us ' more than one-and-a-half years.”
Interestingly, the petitioners and the historians who were fighting against what they termed “NCERT's saffronisation of school programme” also welcomed the court order. “Though the larger issue that the NCERT revised the national curriculum framework without referring it to the CABE (Central Advisory Board on Education) was not really addressed, the court has upheld the position taken by historians on the books of social sciences, history which is welcome,” former, NCERT history professor Arjun Dev said.
While simplified maths, science and English textbooks win be available from today after the court lifted the stay order on them, the extension of restriction on publication of Hindi books along with the social science and history surprised many. Rajput tried to explain it by saying that “the NCERT Hindi literature book has included translated pieces from other languages, like Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Punjabi that has not been received well by some.”
But one of the petitioners said that the translation of the original text is not the point of dispute. The issue is that a language textbook is not only about grammar and literature, it can also contain elements which propagate a particular ideology and distorted mindset.
Pointing to the fact that the court
has made a clear distinction between the social sciences and basic sciences
– maths, physics, chemistry - the petitioner said the court has probably
allowed the circulation of basic science textbooks as they do not involve
no subjective interpretation. The next hearing of the petition has been
scheduled or April 12.
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