A group of esteemed academicians affiliated with the NCERT books has expressed their frustration and demanded the removal of their names from the textbooks, citing the jeopardizing of their collective creative effort. This comes shortly after political scientists Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar wrote to the NCERT, requesting the exclusion of their names from the textbooks.

These academicians have been members of the Textbook Development Committee (TDC), responsible for overseeing the NCERT textbooks.

In a letter addressed to the Director of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Dinesh Saklani, 33 academicians have signed their names, including notable figures such as Kanti Prasad Bajpai, former professor at JNU and currently serving as the vice-dean at the National University, Singapore; Pratap Bhanu Mehta, former vice-chancellor of Ashoka University; Rajeev Bhargava, former director of CSDS; Niraja Gopal Jayal, former professor at JNU; Nivedita Menon, professor at JNU; Vipul Mudgal, head of civil society watchdog Common Cause; KC Suri, former professor at the University of Hyderabad associated with Gitam University, and Peter Ronald deSouza, former director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies.

The controversy surrounding the removal of various topics and sections from NCERT textbooks last month has sparked outrage, with the Opposition accusing the BJP-led Government of engaging in a “whitewashing” exercise. The NCERT initially referred to the omissions as a possible oversight but refused to reverse the deletions, stating that they were based on expert recommendations. It also mentioned that the textbooks were scheduled for revision in 2024 when the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) comes into effect. However, the NCERT later changed its stance, stating that “minor changes need not be notified.”

“In view of the substantive revisions made to the original texts, rendering them essentially different books, we find it difficult to associate our names with them... We now fear that this collective creative effort is under threat,” expressed the academicians in their letter to the NCERT.

“The textbooks were the outcome of extensive discussions and collaborations among political scientists representing diverse perspectives and ideological backgrounds. They were originally designed to impart knowledge about India’s struggle for independence, the constitutional framework, the functioning of democracy, and key aspects of Indian politics while incorporating global developments and theoretical principles of political science,” the letter further stated.

In a separate letter to the NCERT last week, Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar stated that the rationalization process has “mutilated” the books to the point of being unrecognizable and academically dysfunctional. They emphasized that the textbooks, which were once a source of pride, have now become a source of embarrassment.

The NCERT, on the other hand, has asserted that disassociating anyone from the textbooks is not possible, as school-level textbooks are developed based on collective knowledge and understanding of the subject, and individual authorship is not claimed at any stage.