ERROR, ERROR, EVERYWHERE

EXPERTSPEAK: DR ARVIND GANACHARYA, historian

Dr Arvind Ganacharya was professor and head, department of history at MU. He specialises in the study of modern Indian history and the history of modern Maharashtra

NEW ADDITIONS: The revised textbook introduced the study of applied history. The entire text is divided into chapters that explore various aspects of historiography.

SYLLABUS TOO HEAVY FOR CLASS 10 STUDENTS

“At the school-level, students should be taught history in a narrative format. As they move to higher classes, the premise can shift from province to nation to world. Having stray chapters with no links creates all confusion,” he said

The current syllabus however looks only at applied history- which is a part of the subject that even postgraduate students take some time to understand, he said.

TEACHERS MAY NOT BE EQUIPPED TO TEACH DIFFICULT CONCEPTS

“Most teachers at the school-level have no introduction to applied elements and might just read out and mark answers. This may discourage students from pursuing the subject later,” he said. EXPERTSPEAK: DR SUDHA MOHAN, head, department of civics and politics, MU

She was awarded Sr. Fulbright Fellowship by the United States Department of State‘s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs in 2004-2005 and was recently awarded a grant by Shastri Indo-canadian Institute

NEW ADDITION: While Balbharti has acknowledged 13 corrections, experts said the content needs critical analysis

POLITICAL SCIENCE MUCH MORE THAN JUST CONSTITUTION, TEXTS LACK ORGANISATION Mohan said, “Its important to study the Constitution, but to study just that is a one-sided approach.”

For instance: In the sub-sections, the first two sub-themes — Working of the Constitution and The Electoral Process; Political Parties are essentially part of the Constitutional framework with specific provisions. The presentation makes it look like there is a sub-section of the Constitution which incorporates Electoral Politics and Political Parties

Other errors: The text states that the policy of reservation of seats is for those deprived of opportunities for education and employment for long, without any mention of ‘social exclusion’ which is a key basis of the policy