NCERT Withdraws Class 8 Textbook Within 24 Hours, Rekindling Debate Over Curriculum Revisions Under NEP 2020
In a dramatic turn of events, a newly released Class 8 social science textbook by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) was taken off shelves barely a day after it was introduced in schools.
The book, meant for the ongoing academic session, had been long-awaited by students, as only the first part had been issued in July last year.
The second part finally arrived on February 23 — just weeks before the academic year’s conclusion.
However, controversy erupted almost immediately. A media report highlighted a segment discussing alleged “corruption in the judiciary,” triggering sharp reactions.
Within hours, NCERT withdrew the publication from circulation. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that he had instructed officials to remove the book without delay.
The matter escalated further when the Supreme Court of India took suo motu cognizance and imposed a blanket prohibition on the book’s publication, reprinting, or digital distribution.
Shortly thereafter, NCERT issued a statement expressing regret over what it described as “inappropriate textual material” and an “error of judgement” in the chapter addressing the judiciary’s role.
Observers note that such a swift apology and withdrawal are unusual for the body, which has overseen sweeping curricular modifications in recent years.
Curriculum Overhaul Under NEP 2020
The withdrawn textbook is part of a broader revamp aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023.
These reforms aim to modernize content, reduce rote learning, and reorient pedagogy.
The previous textbooks were based on the 2005 curriculum framework and had been in use since 2006–08. Under the new framework, revised books have been released in phases: Classes 1 and 2 in 2023; Classes 3 and 6 in 2024; and Classes 4, 5, 7, and 8 in 2025.
Even before the rollout of entirely new editions, NCERT conducted multiple revisions since 2014.
A major “rationalization” drive in 2022–23, undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic, aimed to lighten academic load by trimming portions of content. Several of those deletions, however, stirred debate.
Revisions That Sparked Controversy
Over the past few years, various edits and omissions have drawn public scrutiny:
- In a revised Class 12 political science text after 2017, the 2002 Gujarat violence was referred to simply as the “Gujarat riots,” omitting earlier phrasing that described it as “anti-Muslim riots.”
- During the 2022 rationalization exercise, references to the National Human Rights Commission’s criticism of the Gujarat government were removed, along with passages detailing the sequence of events following the Godhra train burning and subsequent communal violence.
- A sociology chapter discussing communalism dropped lines noting that both major political parties had presided over significant communal riots — the 1984 anti-Sikh violence under a Congress government and the 2002 Gujarat violence under a BJP administration.
- Discussions explaining the socio-economic realities of caste-based discrimination, including occupational limitations faced by Dalits due to untouchability, were also pruned.
- A box challenging stereotypes about Muslim communities — particularly the misconception that they neglect girls’ education — was removed from a Class 6 social science text.
- A section highlighting the political vulnerability of minorities in electoral democracies was deleted from a Class 12 sociology book.
- In 2022, references to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire were removed from a Class 7 history textbook, reducing coverage of medieval India.
- A paragraph describing the ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination was excised from a Class 12 political science text.
- In 2024, a Class 12 political science book referred to the Babri Masjid merely as a “three-domed structure,” leaving out earlier details about political mobilization, communal tension, and the Rath Yatra.
- A revised Class 11 political science text linked vote-bank politics to “minority appeasement,” terminology absent in previous editions.
- The Harappan civilization in a new Class 6 book was renamed the ‘Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization,’ incorporating references to the Sarasvati river.
- The first part of the Class 8 textbook described Babur as a “brutal conqueror” and characterized Akbar’s rule as a mix of severity and tolerance, preceded by a cautionary note on examining “darker” historical periods objectively.
- Mentions of Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali, and the Anglo-Mysore Wars were omitted from a chapter on resistance to British colonial rule.
- A revised Class 7 text expanded coverage of the Mahmud of Ghazni invasions, focusing on temple destruction and plunder, including the raid on Somnath.
An Ongoing Debate
The rapid withdrawal of the Class 8 book has once again spotlighted the delicate balance between curricular reform and historical interpretation.
While NCERT maintains that revisions aim to align textbooks with contemporary educational goals, critics argue that certain edits reflect selective emphasis.
With the Supreme Court of India’s intervention and the government’s swift response, the episode underscores how school textbooks — often seen as academic tools — remain central to wider political and ideological debates.
As curriculum changes continue under the NEP framework, discussions over representation, omission, and interpretation are unlikely to fade anytime soon.
