July 16, 2024: In a firm rebuttal to allegations of ‘saffronisation‘ following the release of revised school textbooks, NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani has defended the recent modifications that include numerous deletions and changes. The controversy emerged particularly over the Class 12 political science textbook, which now refers to the Babri Masjid as a “three-domed structure” and omits references to the Babri Masjid demolition and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Saklani, who has led NCERT since 2022, clarified that these adjustments aim to prevent the creation of “violent and depressed citizens,” focusing instead on fostering a positive mindset among students. According to Saklani, the revisions in NCERT are part of a comprehensive effort to streamline the curriculum by removing content considered contentious or potentially harmful to students’ mental health. His statements come amidst an ongoing debate about how historical events should be portrayed in educational materials, balancing accuracy with the psychological impact on learners.
Saklani emphasized that the intention behind the curriculum changes is not to hide historical truths but to introduce them at a more appropriate age. “Should we teach our students in a manner that they become offensive, create hatred in society or become victims 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 in school textbooks,” he explained. He further remarked that students should understand historical events and their implications when they are more mature.
While the revised textbooks have reduced the section on Ayodhya from four pages to two, they still include the 2019 Supreme Court judgment that facilitated the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Saklani defended this inclusion, stating, “If the Supreme Court has given a verdict in favor of the Ram temple, Babri Masjid, or Ram Janmabhoomi, should it not be included in our textbooks? What is the problem in that?”
Saklani reiterated that the aim of education should be to build a harmonious society, not to instill a sense of hatred or animosity. “Let them understand what happened and why it happened when they grow up. The hue and cry about the changes is irrelevant,” he concluded.
