NEW DELHI:
NCERT
‘s director
Dinesh Prasad Saklani
said on Sunday that teaching about riots in
school textbooks
would not have a “positive” impact on the citizens and create “violent and depressed individuals”. He was referring to the changes made regarding chapters based on Gujarat riots and
Babri masjid demolition
.
In an interview to PTI, Saklani said, “Why should we teach about riots in school textbooks? We want to create positive citizens not violent and depressed individuals”.
Saklani’s remarks came after the release of updated textbooks that feature numerous omissions and alterations. The revised Class 12 political science textbook describes the Babri Masjid as a “three-domed structure” and has reduced the Ayodhya section from four pages to two. It has also removed specific details that were present in the previous version of the textbook.
The recent revisions in the textbooks involve removing references to BJP’s ‘rath yatra’ from Somnath to Ayodhya in Gujarat, the involvement of ‘kar sevaks’ and communal unrest following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the imposition of President’s rule in BJP-governed states, and the BJP’s statement expressing regret about the events in Ayodhya.
‘What is wrong about changes?’
Responding to allegations of saffronisation in curriculum and textbooks, Saklani said, “If something has become outdated, it should be updated. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be changed. I don’t see this as saffronisation. We teach history to provide students with factual knowledge, not to turn it into a battleground.”
Talking about the deletions made in textbooks that include role of ‘kar sevaks’ in Babri Masjid demolition, Saklani said, “If Supreme Court has given a verdict in favour of Ram temple, Babri masjid or Ram janmabhoomi, should it not be included in our textbooks, what is the problem in that? We have included the new updates.”
If we have constructed new Parliament, should our students not know about it. It is our duty to include the ancient developments and recent developments,” he added.
“There are no attempts to saffronise curriculum, everything is based on facts and evidence,” he said.
‘No attempts to saffronisecurriculum’
Regarding accusations of saffronisation in the curriculum and textbooks, the 61-year-old told PTI, “If something has lost relevance, it should be updated. Why shouldn’t it? I don’t see any agenda here. Our goal in teaching history is to educate students with factual information, not to turn it into a contentious issue.”
“If we are telling about Indian Knowledge System, how can it be saffronisation? If we are telling about iron pillar in Mehrauli and saying Indians were way ahead of any metallurigical scientist, are we saying wrong? How can it be saffronisation?”, he added.
‘We want to create positive citizens’
Suggested that there is not the same level of outcry regarding the absence of the 1984 riots from textbooks, Saklani said, “Should we teach our students in a manner that they become offensive, create hatred in society or become victim of hatred? Is that education’s purpose? Should we teach about riots to such young children … when they grow up, they can learn about it but why school textbooks.”
“Let them understand what happened and why it happened when they grow up. The hue and cry about the changes is irrelevant,” he added.
