The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has reportedly removed the Preamble to the Constitution from the textbooks of class 3 and class 6, sparking debate. Previously, the Preamble was featured in the initial pages of these books. According to The Tribune, it has been eliminated from all class 3 books and from the class 6 social science textbook. However, it remains included in the class 6 science book ‘Curiosity’ and the Hindi book ‘Malhar.’ The updated social science textbook now emphasizes fundamental rights and duties.
For class 6, NCERT has consolidated environmental studies into a single textbook, as opposed to the three books it used to publish. The Preamble has been omitted from the new English textbook ‘Poorvi’ and the Sanskrit textbook ‘Deepakam,’ both of which now include the national anthem and the national song.
Professor Ranjana Arora, Head of the Department of Curriculum Studies and Development at NCERT, clarified that the new textbooks highlight various aspects of the Indian Constitution, including the Preamble, fundamental duties, rights, and the national anthem. Arora stated, “The allegations regarding the removal of the Preamble from the NCERT textbooks do not have a sound basis. For the first time, NCERT is giving great importance to various facets of the Indian Constitution. The understanding that only the Preamble reflects the Constitution and Constitutional Values is flawed and narrow. We give equal importance to all of these for the holistic development of children following the vision of NEP – 2020.”
Additionally, the revised NCERT Class 12 Political Science textbook no longer mentions the Babri Masjid by name, referring to it instead as a “three-domed structure.” The section on Ayodhya has been reduced from four pages to two, omitting details present in the earlier version.
These revisions are in alignment with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasize an Indian context. Changes include the addition of more Indian authors to the old NCERT English language textbook, Honeysuckle, and the inclusion of the word ‘Bharat’ for the first time in an NCERT textbook. The term ‘Bharat’ appears 19 times in the chapter titled “Culture and Tradition,” compared to seven mentions of ‘India.’
