Replace 'India' with 'Bharat' in textbooks: NCERT panel recommends

New Delhi: A high-level committee on social sciences, established by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to revise the school curriculum, has suggested that "Bharat" be used in place of "India" in all class textbooks.

According to committee chairperson C I Isaac, the panel has suggested replacing the name "India" with "Bharat" in the textbooks, introducing "classical history" instead of "ancient history" in the curriculum and including the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the syllabus for all subjects.

NCERT officials, however, said no decision has been taken yet on the panel's recommendations.

"The committee has unanimously recommended that the name 'Bharat' should be used in textbooks for students across classes. We have also recommended introducing 'classical history' instead of 'ancient history' in the textbooks," Isaac said.

He said the committee has also recommended highlighting "Hindu victories" in various battles in the textbooks.

"Our failures are presently mentioned in the textbooks. But our victories over the Mughals and sultans are not," said Isaac, who is also a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).

The NCERT is revising the curriculum of the school textbooks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The council recently constituted a 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) to finalise the curriculum, textbooks and learning material for these classes.

"The committee has also recommended the introduction of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the curriculum of all subjects," Isaac said.

Other members of the committee include ICHR Chairperson Raghuvendra Tanwar, Vandana Mishra, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Vasant Shinde, former vice-chancellor of the Deccan College Deemed University, and Mamta Yadav, who teaches sociology in a Haryana government school.

With PTI inputs