Latest news with #NCERT
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
New NCERT textbooks don't carry ‘poverty and colonised' narratives, says PM's advisory council member
The new social science textbooks developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has broken away from the 'old poverty and colonised narratives', Sanjeev Sanyal, member of the PM's Economic Advisory Council (PM-EAC) and chairperson of NCERT's Curricular Area Group Economics, said on Tuesday. 'The new NCERT textbooks for Class 7 are out… Note that the images are clear and in colour, the economics section teach ideas using modern examples, and history tries to focus on storytelling rather than dates. I am sure these too will be improved with iterations but we have broken away from old poverty and gratefully colonised narrative,' Mr. Sanyal stated on X. Mr. Sanyal further said that the economics segment in the old textbooks (from 2012) were 'deliberately', designed for 'povertarian narratives'. 'Images from Partition-time refugee schools, all technology was steam engines, the chapter on markets was about how fair price shops and how shopkeepers were 'hoarding', and the chapter on finance was all about women's self-help groups,' he said further on X. The Hindu had earlier reported that the new social science textbook for Class 7 – Exploring Society: India and Beyond has combined previously separate textbooks on history, geography and social and political Life (which also had a section on economics) into one. The new NCERT textbooks for class VII are out. Below are images of the integrated social science textbook (history, economics, geography etc). Note that the images are clear and in colour, the economics section teach ideas using modern examples, and history tries to focus on… — Sanjeev Sanyal (@sanjeevsanyal) June 10, 2025 Digital money in The new Class 7 social science book deals with economics in Theme E in two chapters – From Barter to Money and Understanding Markets. The new book's 'From Barter to Money' chapter goes into the basic details of barter system, the history of money, coinage system during Chalukyas, Cholas, and goes on to discuss use of digital money, including systems of net banking and United Payments Interface. The second chapter, Understanding Markets, also delves into the history of markets by featuring a section on Karnataka's historical Hampi Bazaar, and goes on to explain how modern markets work. In comparison, the previous NCERT textbook for Class 7, focussed only on contemporary agrarian markets, dedicating a section to weavers' cooperatives and included exercises like writing a letter to the Minister asking what a student thinks should be the proper payment to workers after providing graphics on the current situation of labour charges in the garment industry. While the old textbook is replete with multiple examples, the new textbook too, delves on a similar exercise in the context of modern-day setting where a family would bargain with a vegetable seller to lower the price of vegetables, but would go to supermarkets and end up buying it at a slightly higher price. Similarly, Mr. Sanyal also mentioned that while the economics sections of Classes 6 and 7 textbooks had been revised, his team is now looking at revising Class 8 books. Missing farmers and debt The economics section in old NCERT textbooks of Class 6 was distinctly divided into two chapters – 'Rural Livelihoods' and 'Urban Livelihoods'. The Rural Livelihoods chapter touched upon daily wage workers working in paddy fields of rural Tamil Nadu. An entire section was dedicated to farmers being in debt, on the hardships faced by people living in fishing villages, and so on. In comparison, one of the chapters in the new Class 6 textbook's economics section begins with a quote from Kautilya's Arthashastra, with a segment on the dairy cooperative revolution and the Amul's role in Gujarat. While the old Class 6 textbook had detailed case studies on farmers and debt, the new textbook does not include these details. The new textbooks for Class 8 are now awaited. NCERT officials told The Hindu that while the new English textbooks were made available from May 17, rest of the subjects, including social science, will be out by June end, before the schools re-open in July after the summer break.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
UPSC topper Shakti Dubey shares her inspiring journey on UP Police podcast
Lucknow: The 15th episode of the Uttar Pradesh Police's official podcast series 'Beyond the Badge' features a heartfelt and inspiring conversation between assistant commissioner of police Neha Tripathi and UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024 topper Shakti Dubey, along with her father, sub-inspector Devendra Dubey. Shakti, who secured All-India Rank 1 in one of the country's most prestigious competitive exams, comes from a humble Uttar Pradesh Police family. Launched in Jan 2025 under the direction of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 'Beyond the Badge' aims to highlight the achievements, human stories, and exceptional contributions of Uttar Pradesh Police personnel and their families. The latest episode celebrates the remarkable success of Shakti Dubey, who brought national recognition to the state and the police fraternity through her perseverance and grit. During the episode, Shakti's father, Devendra Dubey, emotionally recounted the family's struggles and their unwavering belief in her potential. "We never had computers or printers at home," he shared. "But whenever she needed printouts for her study material, I would get them from a shop to make sure her studies were not hampered. When she couldn't clear the exam in her fourth attempt despite reaching the interview stage, she was heartbroken. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Walgreens Keeps Quiet About This '9 Pills for $7' Generic Cialis Deal Friday Plans Get Offer Undo But the entire family, especially her brother, encouraged her to try once more—and with God's grace, she succeeded." Speaking candidly, Shakti revealed that 2024 marked her fifth attempt at the UPSC exam. "There were many times I felt like giving up. I even considered choosing another career path," she admitted. "But it was my mother who constantly reminded me why I wanted this job. Her words reignited my motivation each time I stumbled." Giving practical advice to UPSC aspirants, she said, "Do your homework before jumping into UPSC prep. Understand the syllabus thoroughly—what to read, how much to read, and which books to rely on. Also, analyse how much weightage is given to the mains and interview, and align your priorities accordingly. NCERT books and previous years' question papers are vital resources." Importantly, Shakti urged aspirants to always have a backup plan. "Only about one percent of candidates succeed in UPSC. The rest don't. So always have a second career option in mind. That way, failure won't break you—you can still move ahead in life with clarity and confidence," she added. The episode also explores other aspects of Shakti's journey, including how she stayed motivated after repeated failures, her optional subjects, her emotional state on result day, and the values she hopes to bring into her role as a civil servant.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
What Mizoram, Goa's ‘fully literate' tag under the ULLAS program means
Last month, Mizoram and Goa declared themselves to be 'fully literate' states under ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society), a literacy programme for people over 15 who may not have attended school. While Goa's literacy rate was 99.72%, Mizoram's stood at 98.2%. These states followed Ladakh, which was the first in the country to have declared itself 'fully literate' under the scheme in June last year, having 'achieved more than 97% literacy'. Launched by the Centre, the ULLAS scheme (also known as the New India Literacy Programme) is being implemented from 2022 to 2027. It aims to equip 5 crore 'non-literate individuals' over the age of 15 across the country with foundational literacy and numeracy skills, which means basic reading and writing and simple arithmetic learnt in primary classes. The teaching material is also meant to impart 'critical life skills' like financial and digital literacy. Working with schools and officials, states and Union Territories have identified people who need such education through door-to-door surveys. They are then taught by registered volunteers – school students, students from higher education and teacher education institutions, and community members. The NCERT has developed the learning material, and the states have done it in their local languages. A mobile app is available for teaching and learning, but it can also be done offline. ULLAS is the latest of the adult literacy programmes rolled out by the Indian government since the 1950s. This includes programmes targeting farmers and women in the 1960s and '70s, and a country-wide programme called the National Adult Education Programme for the 15-35 age group. Then came the National Literacy Mission from 1988 to 2009 for this bracket. The UPA government launched the 'Saakshar Bharat' (Literate India) scheme in 2009, and it ran until 2018. It equipped those aged 15 and above with functional literacy and was also linked to opportunities for skill development and further education. ULLAS also includes these goals. How has the scheme fared so far? Learners are administered the Functional Literacy Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) – a 150-mark reading, writing and numeracy test, conducted in different languages. Upon passing the test, the learner is certified by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) as having acquired foundational literacy and numeracy. An official in the Ministry of Education said that from March 2023 onwards, 1.77 crore people have appeared for FLNAT across 33 states/UTs. While the Centre provides the question paper, states contextualise it and translate it into local languages. The ULLAS website says there are around 2.43 crore registered learners, and 1.03 crore people have been certified so far. Data from the tests conducted in 2024 show varying performance across states. In Tamil Nadu and Goa, 100% of those who appeared for FLNAT passed. The official said that nationally, on average, 90% of those who appear pass. In last year's tests, Gujarat and Tripura had a lower-than-average pass percentage – 87.07% and 75.97%, respectively. It stood at a little over 85% in Uttarakhand and Jharkhand, over 95% in Punjab, Assam and UP, and a little more than 99% in Delhi and Rajasthan. In Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Mizoram, more than 70% of those who appeared for the test last year were women. This figure is over 65% in Odisha, UP, Assam, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and Delhi. How is 'full literacy' defined? The Ministry of Education wrote to the states in August last year, defining 'literacy' and '100% literacy' for ULLAS. Literacy was defined as 'the ability to read, write, and compute with comprehension i.e to identify, understand, interpret and create, along with critical life skills such as digital literacy, financial literacy etc.' It added that achieving 95% literacy in a State/UT may be considered equivalent to being fully literate. The communication also referred to the National Education Policy 2020, which calls for government initiatives for adult education to 'expedite the all-important aim of achieving 100% literacy'. It mentioned the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which include ensuring that 'all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy' by 2030. States were urged to strive towards this goal. Goa, Mizoram, and Ladakh have said they surpassed the 95% literacy mark. Key to this is ensuring that people identified as non-literate after ULLAS take the FLNAT. According to an SCERT official in Goa, data from 116 of the state's panchayats and municipalities report literacy rates between 95% and 100%. In the remaining 89 panchayats/municipalities/ municipal corporations, the state identified 6,299 non-literate people, and under ULLAS, 2,136 were trained and cleared FLNAT. Not all identified people could be trained. Several were elderly and could not or did not want to participate, the official said. 'At the panchayat level, over 80 panchayats declared themselves to be 100% literate after conducting a survey. Considering the population from the last census, and the non-literate people who were identified (under ULLAS), the literacy rate of 99.72% was arrived at,' the official said. In Mizoram, an SCERT official pointed to data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The 2023-24 PLFS annual report shows a literacy rate of 98.2% among those aged 7 and above. Mizoram identified 3,026 non-literate people in 2023, and 1,692 were trained under ULLAS. Ladakh had identified over 32,000 non-literate people under ULLAS. Around 7,300 learners appeared for FLNAT in Ladakh in the first phase, then over 22,000 in the second phase in 2023, and over 4,600 in the third phase in early 2024. In June 2024, it was declared 'fully literate' under ULLAS. What do other surveys show? According to the 2023-24 PLFS report, Goa has a literacy rate of 93.6%, while Ladakh has a literacy rate of 81% among those aged 7 and above. PLFS identifies a person who can both read and write a simple message with understanding in at least one language as 'literate'. The 2011 census reported a national average literacy rate of 74.04%, and an adult literacy rate (of those aged 15 and above) of 69.3%, up from 61% in 2001. This translates to 25.76 crore non-literate individuals, comprising 9.08 crore males and 16.68 crore females. In the 2011 census, Goa had a literacy rate of 88.7%, while Mizoram recorded 91.3%. The highest figure of 94% was recorded in Kerala. At an event last year, School Education Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sanjay Kumar, said: 'We are trying that in those States where literacy levels are high, we can try and make them 100% literate via ULLAS. According to the figures I have with me, there is Goa, Mizoram, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry.'
India.com
4 days ago
- General
- India.com
Meet NEET topper who scored 720 marks out of 720, got 99.99 percentile; her name is..., Mukesh Ambani is….
Success is not just a cakewalk. It's the result of consistent effort, discipline, and showing up every single day. This story is about a woman who has secured All India Rank(AIR) 1 in the NEET UG examination. She scored 720 marks out of 720 in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. She is… Palansha Agarwal began studying for the NEET-UG test as soon as she completed her 10th standard. She had a rigid study regimen, waking up at 3.30 am to study until 6 am. Post-school, she would take a brief pause before revising for NEET once again. She shared that she initially found physics challenging, so she put in extra effort to improve. Later, when chemistry became a weak point, she focused on it with consistent daily study. She relied on NCERT textbooks and regularly practiced with mock tests and sample questions to strengthen her preparation. Palansha is a native of Agra, Uttar Pradesh but was raised in Mumbai and is currently staying in Mumbai. She did her schooling from DAV Public School, Airoli and subsequently did her 11th and 12th from Jaipuriar School. Her father, Anshu Agarwal is an engineer at Reliance and her mother, Payal Agarwal is a teacher at Euro School.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Over 5 lakh pirated textbooks seized, 29 FIRs registered in last 14 months: NCERT, ET Education
Advt Advt New Delhi, NCERT , with the help of police from various states, has seized more than five lakh copies of pirated textbooks and huge quantity of printing paper and machinery worth more than Rs 20 crore in the last 14 months, an official statement said on Monday.A record 29 FIRs were registered during the period against warehouse owners and retailers of pirated textbooks, it to the statement, the NCERT has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards piracy of textbooks, which is a cognizable offence under the Copyright Act, 1957."NCERT in the last 14 months, along with the respective police authorities, has seized more than five lakh copies of pirated NCERT textbooks, huge quantity of printing paper and machinery worth more than Rs 20 crore, while registering a record 29 FIRs against printers, warehouse owners, and retailers of pirated NCERT textbooks," the statement said."Continuing its drive against such criminals, NCERT, along with the UP Police, conducted a raid on a warehouse in Muzaffarnagar and seized over 1.5 lakh pirated NCERT textbooks worth over Rs 2 crore, one truck, and two cars loaded with pirated textbooks, as well as a large number of printing plates. Eight accused were arrested on the spot," it continuation of this action, a printing press in Samalkha (Haryana) was also raided and a large number of printing plates being used for printing pirated NCERT textbooks, copies of such textbooks, and machinery were investigation is underway to identify the masterminds behind the racket of manufacturing, distributing, and selling pirated NCERT textbooks, the statement said."To curb the menace of pirated textbooks, which not only cause revenue loss to NCERT and the government but are also a health hazard for school children on account of the poor paper and ink quality, NCERT is ensuring timely printing of NCERT textbooks and their availability in adequate numbers in the market."A technology-based anti-piracy solution developed by IIT Kanpur is being introduced in NCERT textbooks. This solution has been piloted on 10 lakh copies of one title and shall be scaled up to all titles in the next academic year, replacing the old watermarked paper, which has become redundant and is easily copied by pirates," it added. PTI
