SELECTIVE OMISSION
NCERT is set to remove details of historical events like Renaissance Movement in Kerala from textbooks
Revising text book portions has always been a subject of controversy. Recently, the HRD ministry decided to remove portions regarding the Renaissance Movement in Kerala from the Class IX textbook of NCERT. The portions in question deal with the historic Channar Revolt, which was started by women from Dalit and backward communities for the right to cover their breasts, excerpts from Jeevitha Samaram, the autobiography of C. Kesavan, etc.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the development a part of the Sangh Parivar’s agenda to ‘rewrite’ history books to suit their needs. The Opposition Leader in the Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala, also protested against the Centre’s decision and wrote to the NCERT director to reinsert the portions. “This is an attempt to wipe the Renaissance values from the youth,” the Kerala CM wrote in a Facebook post.
Earlier, the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education had faced criticism when they revised Class 10 and 12 textbooks. The new social science textbooks included chapters on 16th Lok Sabha elections, Make in India, Prime Minister’s foreign visits, demonetization, cashless transactions, NITI Aayog, Swachh Bharat Mission, Paris Agreement etc.
Was it right from the part of NCERT to remove details of historical events like the Renaissance Movement from textbooks? Is it not a calculated propaganda by the government at the cost of the quality of education? Isn’t it unfair that students have to study about false propaganda and manipulated events?