&w=3840&q=100)
Class 8 textbook has not dropped regional resistance topics, says NCERT
Press Trust of India New Delhi
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Monday clarified that references to the regional resistance movements have not been dropped from the new class 8 Social Science textbook.
The clarification came following news reports claiming that the class 8 Social Science textbook, "Exploring Society: India and Beyond", has removed references to the regional resistance movements.
"It is clarified that the said textbook happens to be the first volume of this textbook. The second volume is in final stages of development and is expected to be released in Sept-Oct 2025," the NCERT said in a statement.
"Topics relating to the regional resistance movements and armed uprisings such as the Paika rebellion and Khurda uprising of Odisha, the Kuka movement or rebellion of the Sikhs in Punjab, etc., will be handled in this volume," it said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Two realities of NEP: Sensory classrooms & hi-tech labs, to kids sitting on floor & no teachers
The room was alive, brimming with laughter and conversation as they matched cardboard cutouts depicting people of different occupations with the tools they use. New Delhi/Ferozepur Jhirka (Haryana): In a swanky activity room designed for young children, filled with educational toys, colourful charts, and interactive activity corners, four-year-olds Mehar and Arayna sat deeply engrossed in their daily lessons on a June morning. This is Part 2 of a four-part series. You can read Part 1 here . When the teacher showed them the cutout of a doctor, Mehar matched it with the corresponding medical equipment. When shown a picture of a cook, Arayna quickly grabbed the cardboard utensils. This was the scene at the kindergarten or pre-primary wing—referred to as 'Balvatika' under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020—at ITL Public School in Dwarka, a leading private school in Delhi piloting various schemes under the policy. 'Now we introduce everything to students via storytelling. For example, while teaching Mathematics—say, addition—we tell them a story like: there were two friends, one had five balloons and the other had two. So how many balloons were there in total? This way, they take more interest in learning,' said Tabitha Hamilton, headmistress of the wing. NEP introduced major changes in pre-primary education, placing strong emphasis on early childhood care and learning, and advocating for learning through play and experiential methods, rather than relying solely on traditional book-based instruction. The policy also mandates three years of pre-primary education, or 'Balvatika', in schools. But about 100 km away from the national capital, a government school in Haryana's Nuh district tells a starkly different story. Four-year-old Gudiya and Chinki are forced to sit on the floor of a small, unpainted courtyard-turned-classroom with a tin roof—disconnected from all the development envisioned under the NEP 2020. This makeshift space has served as the Balvatika classroom since last year for the government primary school in Dhond-Khurd, a locality in Ferozepur Jhirka—a subdivision in Nuh. The room also doubles up as the kitchen and serving area for mid-day meals. The school has 210 students, just one formal classroom, a courtyard, a makeshift structure, and only one teacher for all students of Balvatika, and up to Class 5. Ahmed Hussain, the teacher, said that the school has received experiential toys under NEP 2020 from the state education department and the 'Jadui Pitara'—a kit developed by NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) that offers a wide array of interactive and engaging learning materials, including animated stories—but they are unable to put them to use. 'I'm the only teacher for five different classes and 13 Balvatika students. How can I manage so many children and still provide play-based learning? It's impossible. Even today, I sent a request to the education department to deploy another teacher here,' he told ThePrint. 'Since we don't have enough space, we have to make the Balvatika students sit in this courtyard-turned-classroom, where the mid-day meal is also cooked. It is unsafe for the children, but what to do? I'm constantly worried about their safety.' The shortage of teachers does not plague this school alone. According to data presented by Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda in the state assembly in March, over 15,659 teaching posts—13.57 percent of total sanctioned posts—were lying vacant across the state. And Haryana's government schools are not the only ones struggling due to patchy implementation of NEP 2020. Government school teachers from other states, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and even Delhi, told ThePrint that for them, the policy's implementation largely remains on paper, with the schools continuing to deal with basic infrastructure issues and a lack of resources. To understand how NEP 2020 is being implemented across different settings, ThePrint visited a model private school in Delhi, and two government schools in neighbouring Haryana—one primary and one senior secondary. It was found that despite the government's clear intent to implement the policy, the dilapidated infrastructure and severe shortage of human resources in the public school system present daunting barriers. Also Read: Next chapter, India's military might. NCERT preparing module on Op Sindoor for classes 3-12 Infra challenges: Major obstacle to FLN goals NEP 2020 replaced the previous 10+2 school structure with a new 5+3+3+4 model, under which, the first five years form the Foundational stage, including three years of pre-primary education (or Balvatika), and Classes 1 and 2. The Preparatory stage covers Classes 3 to 5, Middle stage includes Classes 6 to 8, and Secondary stage comprises Classes 9 to 12. Foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) is recognised as an 'urgent national mission' in the policy. To achieve this, the Union Ministry of Education launched the NIPUN Bharat initiative in 2021 to ensure all children attain FLN by the end of Class 3 by 2026–27 through targeted teacher training, clear learning goals, regular assessments, and community participation. In 2022, the ministry and NCERT released the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for the Foundational stage, which recommended play-based learning for students up to Class 2, using conversations, stories, toys, music, art and craft. At the government primary school in Dhond-Khurd, the harsh reality of infrastructural neglect and lack of teachers is hard to miss. While Class 1 students share a cramped, tin-roofed courtyard with Balvatika children, those in Classes 2 and 3 sit on mats in the veranda—without even a blackboard to learn from. Despite undergoing NIPUN Bharat training as part of the government's efforts to implement the mission, Hussain, the teacher, finds it nearly impossible to apply what he learned. 'The children are literally cramped into this tiny space, sitting on the floor because we have no benches—and even if we did, where would we put them?' he remarked. 'In this situation, I have no option but to give them written work in their notebooks just to keep them occupied. Even then, it becomes impossible for me to check each and every notebook on my own. It is impossible to keep track of their progress.' Back at Dwarka's ITL Public School's pre-primary wing, the learning is all play-based. The school has also adopted the Holistic Progress Card (HPC), a multi-dimensional progress monitoring system recommended under NEP, moving beyond traditional academic scores to assess children's development across cognitive, affective, socio-emotional and psychomotor domains. 'HPC tracks domain-wise, competency-based assessments. Even small developments, like self-awareness, hygiene practices, recognition of body parts, and use of different body movements are monitored. Teachers provide detailed feedback in each domain. Parents' feedback is also included in the card, along with self-assessments by the students,' said school principal Sudha Acharya. At the Dhond-Khurd government school, even the teacher was unaware of the concept of HPC under NEP. 'Even if the government implements it, how will a single-teacher school track the progress of each and every student?' Hussain asked. The results of PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan—formerly known as National Achievement Survey (NAS)—released in July revealed that students in government schools lag significantly behind their private school counterparts in foundational literacy and numeracy skills. It showed that the performance of students in junior classes has improved from the last time the survey was held due to the NIPUN Bharat initiative. However, the performance was observed to decline in senior classes. Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja, CEO and MD of Central Square Foundation—a non-profit organisation focused on school education—said the implementation of the policy faces several challenges, including infrastructure gaps and the strain of managing an extensive and complex school network. 'State departments of school education are overburdened with multiple responsibilities—running government schools, formulating policy, and regulating all schools, including private ones. This excessive centralisation of authority has led to ineffective school system management, a concern the NEP itself acknowledges. Expecting already stretched education departments to also oversee NEP implementation in private schools is neither realistic nor fair,' she said. To address this, Kukreja pointed to a critical structural reform proposed under Section 8.5(c) of the NEP—the establishment of an independent State School Standards Authority (SSSA). 'The SSSA is intended to take over the regulatory role from the education department, ensuring that all schools—government and private—meet consistent, transparent, and professional standards, especially related to learning outcomes. This separation of powers allows the Department to focus on policymaking, the Directorate on improving government schools, and the SSSA on regulation and accountability,' she said, adding that bridging the implementation gap in NEP 2020 requires reforming governance structures. 'We need a dedicated, neutral regulatory body like the SSSA to oversee implementation across all schools, regardless of management. Only then can the intent of NEP 2020 translate into meaningful change on the ground.' Practical learning in preparatory stage NEP 2020 recommends that every school should have adequate resources, like a library, science and computer labs, skill labs, playgrounds, sports equipment, and other essential facilities, pushing for experiential and practical learning in the preparatory stage as well. However, another school in Ferozepur Jhirka, the Government Girls Senior Secondary School, lacks a functional science lab as the room designated for it is filled with cartons and miscellaneous items, making it more of a storeroom than a laboratory. 'We have received new equipment from the state education department for Science practicals, but we don't have space to even unpack and store them since there are no lab tables constructed in the room. As a result, we haven't been able to conduct any practical classes for the senior students…and forget about juniors,' the school's Science teacher Meenakshi told ThePrint. There have been no Physics and Chemistry practical sessions for Class 11 and 12 students. In their makeshift Biology lab, the school has only permanent slides and no functional microscopes. 'Even a single working microscope would make a huge difference—we could conduct so many practicals,' the teacher said. 'Once, I had to demonstrate flower dissection. First, I had to arrange a flower from outside because the school doesn't have a garden. Then, I placed the microscope under sunlight just to make the lens visible for the students.' Meanwhile, when ThePrint visited Delhi's ITL Public School, a section of Class 4 students were attending a practical Science class, learning how to separate insoluble impurities (like mud) from water. 'We can see a layer of mud at the bottom of the water, which shows it is not soluble,' said an eager Devansh, a student in the group. 'We wait for some time and let the mud settle—this process is called sedimentation.' School principal Acharya said that since the launch of NEP 2020, the focus of education has shifted towards learning by doing and an interdisciplinary approach. 'We are no longer solely dependent on textbooks. Even junior students visit the labs every week for practical classes.' However, the girls' school in Ferozepur Jhirka has 1,100 students with just 23 teachers—a pupil-teacher ratio of approximately 48:1, which is significantly higher than the ideal ratio of 30:1 recommended under NEP for the primary level. It has only 12 classrooms, resulting in some classes being overcrowded with more than 100 students. In fact, many classes are conducted in the corridors, where students are forced to sit on mats. 'How can we introduce concepts through activities in this shortage of space? We also face a severe dearth of teachers—we don't have a Computer teacher or even a Physics teacher at our school. In this situation, pursuing practical and experiential learning is simply impractical,' school principal Syed Mohammad Inaam told ThePrint, who is tirelessly working to enrol girls from nearby villages at his school. However, Charan Dev, Block Education Officer, Ferozepur Jhirka, said that the education department is working to support schools facing such severe staff shortages. 'We are making efforts to assist schools that have no teachers or only one teacher,' he told ThePrint. 'The government is continuously working to improve school infrastructure, and those that are still left out will also receive the necessary support.' Also Read: Just 35% govt schools in India have smart classrooms, Bihar & UP among worst performers—Centre to Parliament 'How to use technology without resources?' NEP 2020 places strong emphasis on the use of technology in education, and advocates for the phased introduction of smart classrooms and digital pedagogy. At Ferozepur Jhirka's senior girls' school, the use of technology remains a distant dream. Although one classroom has a digital board, it lacks basic furniture. Ironically, students sit on the floor to learn about technological advancements. 'In the absence of a proper electricity connection, having a smart board or not doesn't make much difference. It mostly lies unused. Also, in this small room, we have to seat 100 students together. How can you expect them to learn anything, let alone through digital means?' said Shashikant, a Hindi teacher at the school. Although a computer lab exists in the school, it is gathering dust. All computers are non-functional, and the school hasn't had a computer teacher for several years. As a result, Shaheen, a Class 12 student, has not done a single computer-based practical since she joined the school last year. The school also lacks Wi-Fi connectivity. 'I don't know how to operate a computer. If we had a functional lab, we could have learned a lot about modern technology,' said Shaheen, who wants to become a doctor in future. In contrast, all classrooms in ITL School are equipped with smart boards and there are two functional computer labs. 'There is a junior lab for students up to Class 5, and a senior lab for Classes 6 to 12. Besides, we also have a language lab with 40 additional computers,' said principal Acharya. The school uses digital pedagogies in the teaching-learning process on a daily basis. 'Multilingualism needs more than just good intentions' NEP places strong emphasis on promoting multilingualism, with specific focus on strengthening the use and proficiency in Indian languages across all levels of education. In ITL School's language lab, students learn correct pronunciation and diction in various Indian and foreign languages, for which specialised software has been installed. Each computer is equipped with headphones, allowing students to listen to proper pronunciation and practice effectively. Principal Acharya told ThePrint that several teachers at the school, and even parents of many students, speak multiple Indian languages, and they are engaged in teaching students basic words and sentences in those languages. The school has also conducted language mapping, as prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education, to identify the various languages spoken by students. 'At our school, we've decided to dedicate one month to one state, and teach students some basic words and sentences in the languages spoken there. This month, we are celebrating Sikkim, where the widely spoken languages include Nepali, Lepcha and Bhutia. One of our teachers, who is well-versed in these languages, recently created a video for students covering basic vocabulary and sentences,' she added. The school is also planning to introduce four regional languages—Assamese, Odia, Himachali, and Malayalam—representing East, West, North and South. Students from Classes 6 to 8 will be encouraged to choose one of these indigenous languages. 'This way, we will be fulfilling the multilingualism goal of NEP 2020. But all of this is possible only because we have enough well-trained staff, who are not only taking initiative, but also involving parents,' Acharya said. Meanwhile, at the government girls' school in Ferozepur Jhirka, teachers struggle to teach even two languages—Hindi and English. 'At our school, we generally teach in Hindi, even the books that are in English are taught in Hindi. But teaching multiple languages isn't possible in these settings, where teachers are doubling up. Who will teach those languages?' said principal Inaam. Inaam and his colleagues now hope that they will soon get additional space or rooms, so they can implement the policy in both letter and spirit. 'Without additional infrastructure and manpower, the implementation of the policy will continue to remain only on paper, no matter how hard we try. And it will be unfair to our students,' he said. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Mughals out, Magadha empire makes pages of new NCERT Class 7 textbook 'rooted in Indian ethos'
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
US team to visit India on Aug 25 for next round of talks for trade pact
The official added that the two sides continue to be engaged in an interim trade deal as the August 1 deadline is approaching Press Trust of India New Delhi The US team will visit India on August 25 for the next round of negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement between the two countries, an official said on Tuesday. The official added that the two sides continue to be engaged in an interim trade deal as the August 1 deadline is approaching. August 1 marks the end of the suspension period of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on dozens of countries, including India (26 per cent). "The US team is visiting for the sixth round of talks," the official said. India and the US teams concluded the fifth round of talks for the agreement last week in Washington. India's chief negotiator and special secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal and Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch held the deliberations. These deliberations are important as both sides are looking at finalising an interim trade deal before August 1. On April 2 this year, Trump announced high reciprocal tariffs. The implementation of high tariffs was immediately suspended for 90 days till July 9 and later until August 1, as America is negotiating trade deals with various countries. India has hardened its position on the US demand for duty concessions on agri and dairy products. New Delhi has, so far, not given any duty concessions to any of its trading partners in a free trade agreement in the dairy sector. Certain farmers' associations have urged the government not to include any issues related to agriculture in the trade pact. India is seeking the removal of this additional tariff (26 per cent). It is also looking at the easing of tariffs on steel and aluminium (50 per cent) and the auto sector (25 per cent). These issues are an important part of the trade pact negotiations. Against these, India has reserved its right under the WTO (World Trade Organization) norms to impose retaliatory duties. The country is also seeking duty concessions for labour-intensive sectors, such as textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, garments, plastics, chemicals, shrimp, oil seeds, grapes, and bananas, in the proposed trade pact. On the other hand, the US wants duty concessions on certain industrial goods, automobiles, especially electric vehicles, wines, petrochemical products, agri goods, dairy items, apples, tree nuts, and genetically modified crops. The two countries are looking to conclude talks for the first tranche of the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by fall (September-October) this year. Before that, they are looking for an interim trade pact. India's merchandise exports to the US rose 22.8 per cent to $25.51 billion in the April-June quarter this financial year, while imports rose 11.68 per cent to $12.86 billion. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
5 hours ago
- Business Standard
We will intervene if mass exclusion found in Bihar electoral roll SIR: SC
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioners, again alleged that people are being left out from the draft list to be published on August 1 by the poll panel Press Trust of India New Delhi The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Election Commission (EC) is a constitutional authority and it is deemed to act in accordance with law, but if there is mass exclusion in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the court will step in. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi fixed a timeline for considering a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission's SIR exercise in Bihar, and said that hearing on the issue will be held on August 12 and 13. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioners, once again alleged that people are being left out from the draft list to be published on August 1 by the poll panel, and they will lose their crucial right of voting. Bhushan said the EC has issued a statement that 65 lakh persons have not submitted the enumeration forms during the SIR process as they are either dead or have permanently shifted elsewhere. He submitted that these people will have to apply afresh for inclusion in the list. Justice Surya Kant said, "The Election Commission of India, being a Constitutional authority, is deemed to act in accordance with the law. If any wrong doing is done, you bring to the notice of the court. We will hear you." Justice Bagchi told Bhushan, "Your apprehension is that 65 lakh-odd voters will not feature in the draft list. Now ECI is seeking correction in the electoral roll. We are overviewing the process as a judicial authority. If there is mass exclusion, we will immediately step in. You bring 15 people whom they say are dead and are alive." Sibal, appearing for RJD MP Manoj Jha, said the Election Commission knows who these 65 lakh people are and if they mention their names in the draft list, no one will have a problem. "If the draft list is conspicuously silent, you will bring to our notice," Justice Kant said. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll panel, said that even after the draft list publication, enumeration forms can be filed. The bench asked the petitioners and the poll panel to file their written submissions by August 8. It appointed nodal officers from petitioners side and the Election Commission side for filing written submissions/compilations. On Monday, underscoring the "presumption of genuineness" of Aadhaar and voter ID, the top court refused to stay the publication of the draft electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, and said it would once and for all decide pleas against the Election Commission's SIR of electoral rolls. It asked the poll panel to continue accepting Aadhaar and voter ID for the SIR exercise in Bihar in compliance with its order, saying both documents had a "presumption of genuineness". Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, had submitted that the electoral rolls should not be finalised in the interim, pressing for an interim stay on the publication of the draft rolls on August 1. The apex court, however, referred to the top court's previous order noting the petitioners did not press for an interim relief, which couldn't be allowed now, and said the matter would be interpreted once and for all. On July 10, a bench headed by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia asked the EC to consider Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards as valid documents as it allowed the poll panel to continue with its exercise in Bihar. The top court on Monday said the Election Commission suggested that the list of 11 documents for SIR was not inclusive but exhaustive, and they were using both Aadhaar and voter IDs for the purpose of identification. Dwivedi said Aadhaar was not a proof of citizenship and the voter card was not relied upon as it was a revision exercise or else there was no use of such an exercise. Justice Kant had then remarked, "Any document on earth can be forged. The Election Commission can deal with cases of forgery on a case to case basis. Instead of en masse exclusion it must be en masse inclusion." Dwivedi said the poll panel was accepting both Aadhaar and voter IDs but with certain supporting documents. The EC affidavit has justified its ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying it adds to the purity of the election by "weeding out ineligible persons" from the electoral rolls. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
