The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has overhauled its primary curriculum committee following a sharp rebuke from the Supreme Court. The intervention came after a controversial section regarding "Corruption in Judiciary" was discovered in a now-withdrawn Social Science textbook for Class 8, leading officials to confirm the committee's reconstitution on Wednesday.
The newly-formed National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) has been trimmed down to 20 members from its original 22. This high-powered panel features prominent figures such as V Kamakoti, the Director of IIT Madras, and Raghuvendra Tanwar, Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research. Also joining the ranks are R Venkata Rao, the former Vice-Chancellor of the National Law School of India University, and Amarendra Prasad Behera from the NCERT’s own Central Institute of Educational Technology.
The restructuring follows a direct mandate from the Supreme Court, resulting in the removal of three previous members: Michel Danino, MD Srinivas, and the late Bibek Debroy, who served as the chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. A senior official explained that the move was designed to "strengthen" the body through necessary updates and ensure the integrity of future educational content.
The NSTC is tasked with developing the entire school syllabus and learning materials for Grades 3 through to 12. It also manages the transition from the earliest school years by revising textbooks for Grades 1 and 2 where necessary.
The legal trouble began in February when the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the Class 8 textbook's claims about judicial corruption. The court subsequently issued a "blanket ban" on the book, prohibiting the use of both physical and digital copies in classrooms across the country.
Also read: NCERT row: Blacklisted authors move SC
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