Q.: Isn’t it true that value education
became important during M M Joshi’s time only to push Hindutva through
the back door?
Sadhana Prasad
Nowhere can education be perceived without a strong input of values in it. The last five decades have witnessed constant erosion of the essential social, moral and spiritual values. The report of the Education Commission (1964-66), also known as the Kothari Commission report, clearly recommends ‘‘the Central and State Governments shall adopt measures to introduce education in moral, social and spiritual values in all institutions under their control on the lines recommended by the University Education Commission, on religious and moral instruction.’’ This Commission, appointed in 1948-49, is known as the Radhakrishnan Commission. All subsequent policy documents, various reports emphasise value education. The National Policy of Education, 1992, which NCERT is bound to follow till it is changed, describes value education in the following words: ‘‘In our culturally plural society, education should foster universal and eternal values, oriented towards the unity and integration of our people. Such value education should help eliminate obscurantism, religious fanaticism, violence, superstition and fatalism.’’ What NCERT did during 2000-2004 was just a sincere and truthful implementation of the above policy decisions.
Q.: Why should NCERT publish Karan
Singh’s Vedanta?
N S Chaturvedi
NCERT’s mandate is not limited to preparation and production of textbooks only. Its task is very broadbased and includes every aspect of school education, including teacher education. Preparation of teaching and training materials for both pre-service and in-service teachers has been one of its major functions and it has earned a great name for itself in this area, both nationally and internationally. A cursory look at the list of books other than textbooks published by NCERT, would reveal its efforts to provide support and supplementary materials to teachers. Will a basic acquaintance with the ‘‘Vedanta’’ not enrich teachers and teacher trainees? It would also be read by general readers. The central objective is to make the teachers and the young generation aware of India’s traditional wisdom, the different shades of its multi-coloured and vibrant culture. Let us come out of this cocoon that school education is only for obtaining marks in board examinations.
Q.: It was proved beyond doubt that
the panel of historians you selected had plagiarised portions straight
from foreign books. How do you defend this?
F Gomes
What you have stated is just an incorrect statement, probably picked up from the media. I have taught physics for several years at the university level. We have seen similarities in textbooks which certainly are not plagiarisation. I suggest you download the various definitions and interpretations of the term plagiarisation, compare the books of NCERT and the foreign books you have in mind and then make an assessment after a critical analysis. Never lift statements from media reports, trust your own wisdom and analysis.
Q.: Don’t you think Arjun Singh’s
government is just kowtowing to the Left and not really attempting to reach
a consensus on what history should be taught in the country?
H Sikka
The general assessment is that whatever is happening in the context of the textbooks of social sciences and history is a hasty action and probably a direct consequence of political compulsions. Children do not belong to the Left or Right, or to the saffron or red. Whatever decisions are being taken are in fact viewed as prescription for utter confusion and avoidable stress so far as the learners are concerned. History writing has always been a subject of debate in most countries. The basic issue is — can history be made as objective as is humanly possible. At present it appears only a distant dream. I hope a young generation of historians will emerge and take over the issue of consensus building in history writing in earnest, free from ideological compulsions and political pressures.
Q.: People say you were close to
Arjun Singh? Why weren’t you given an extension?
Ajay Bisht
Why should closeness be a criterion for giving extensions? All appointments and extensions must be made on merit and performance. I completed my five-year term on July 13, 2004. All new books were in the market, and this year there was no shortage of books. All the tasks I had planned were either complete or on the verge of completion. It is always advisable to go when the going is good. On April 13, 2004 I had submitted my request for VRS from NCERT service at the end of my tenure.
Q.: Had not the Supreme Court ruled
in favour of the history books during M M Joshi’s time? Why are you not
referring to the SC judgement?
G S Kumar
The SC was petitioned against the National Curriculum Framework of School Education 2000 and it upheld its contents in the judgement delivered on September 12, 2003. It endorsed that teaching and learning of the basics of all religions of the people of India was not against secularism. It gave full approval to the recommendations on value education. It pronounced that the real meaning of secularism is the language of Gandhiji ‘‘Sarva Dharma Sambhav’’, meaning equal treatment and respect for all religions, but we have misunderstood the meaning of secularism as ‘‘Sarva Dharma Sam Abhava’’, meaning negation of all religions. Essentially, the critics focus on these aspects. What saffronisation they are worried about is not clear to me. Incidentally, the SC did not examine the individual books. We did. I place it on record that there is nothing in the books which is for or against any religion or community.
Q.: What is the solution to the
history problem? Should not Right, Left, everyone be brought together and
one common historical perspective be agreed on?
S K Goswami
It has to be a non-political and
non-ideological solution. Such an idealistic state would be possible when
politicians and academics-turned-politicians leave the field free to the
unattached academic historians. In the near future I don’t see such a situation
forthcoming in India. So long as politicians are to nominate experts on
learned bodies, conflicts, confusion and ideological pressures shall persist.
Meanwhile efforts must be made to free history from the clutches of ideologically
committed historians.