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NDTV
7 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
NCERT New Class 8 Social Science Textbook Flags 'Religious Intolerance' In Mughal Era
The NCERT's newly released Class 8 Social Science textbook has sparked attention with its unflinching portrayal of historical figures, including Babur, Akbar, and Aurangzeb, describing episodes of brutality, temple destruction, and religious persecution during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods. The book, 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond' released this week, is the first in the new NCERT curriculum to introduce students to the Delhi Sultanate, Mughals, Marathas and the colonial era. While earlier versions covered some of these topics in Class 7, the NCERT says the timeline has now been shifted entirely to Class 8, in line with the NCF SE 2023 recommendations. Describing Babur as a "brutal and ruthless conqueror, slaughtering entire populations of cities", Akbar's reign as a "blend of brutality and tolerance", and Aurangzeb who destroyed temples and gurdwaras, the NCERT's new Class 8 Social Science textbook, which introduces students to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals, points to "many instances of religious intolerance" during the period. At the beginning of the book is a section titled 'Note on Some Darker Periods in History', where the NCERT offers context for the inclusion of sensitive and violent events primarily of war, bloodshed. The note urges students to understand "the historical origin of cruel violence, abusive misrule or misplaced ambitions of power" dispassionately and states, "No one should be held responsible today for events of the past." The textbook on one hand notes the way Babur, the first Mughal emperor, has been referred to in his autobiography as a cultured and intellectual ruler, while also adding that he was a "brutal and ruthless conqueror slaughtering entire populations of cities, enslaving women and children, and taking pride in erecting 'towers of skulls' made from the slaughtered people of plundered cities." In the old Class 7 book, the reference to Babur was to being forced to leave his throne, seize Kabul, and then Delhi and Agra. While the book notes Akbar's reign as a "blend of brutality and tolerance" for different faiths, it also mentions that "non-Muslims were kept in a minority in the higher echelons of the administration". Akbar is portrayed as having "ordered the massacre of some 30,000 civilians" after the siege of Chittorgarh. The book quotes Akbar's message of victory that boasted about destroying temples and erasing, "We have succeeded in occupying a number of forts and towns belonging to the infidels and have established Islam there. With the help of our bloodthirsty sword, we have erased the signs of infidelity from their minds and have destroyed temples in those places and all over Hindustan." Aurangzeb's religious policy also comes under scrutiny. While acknowledging scholarly arguments that some of his decisions were politically motivated, the book notes that his farmans (edicts) reveal personal religious intentions. He ordered the destruction of temples in Banaras, Mathura, and Somnath, and demolished Jain and Sikh places of worship. The book also includes a portion on 'Jiziya', the tax levied on non-Muslims, calling it a source of public humiliation and an incentive for conversion to Islam, in contrast to the earlier Class 7 textbook version which had mentioned it primarily as a financial measure that also offered them protection and exemption from military service, paid along with land tax initially and thereafter separately. A chapter titled 'Reshaping India's Political Map' explores the Delhi Sultanate era from 13th to 17th century, its rise and fall, as the book mentions marked by political instability and religious violence. It details "attacks on sacred or revered images in Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples," calling them acts of both plunder and iconoclasm. None of this was mentioned in the old Class 7 NCERT book regarding this period of history. Alauddin Khilji's general, Malik Kafur, is mentioned as having "attacked key religious centres like Srirangam, Chidambaram and possibly Rameswaram". These events, which received little to no mention in the old Class 7 NCERT edition, now form part of a broader, more explicit discussion on intolerance and religious persecution during the period. The chapter also notes that despite this, "Indian society showed adaptability and resilience in rebuilding towns, cities, temples, and other aspects of the economy" during this period under both the Mughals and the Delhi Sultanate. Similarly, after the section on the Mughal rulers, the book notes that "some of the invaders and rulers mentioned above committed terrible deeds and atrocities," but "it is important to keep in mind that we, today, bear no responsibility for actions of individuals hundreds of years ago". While the Sultanate and Mughal sections deal with dark themes, the textbook also celebrates resistance and resilience. Chapters on the Marathas, Ahoms, Rajputs, and Sikhs highlight figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Tarabai, and Ahilyabai Holkar, portraying them as visionary leaders who contributed to cultural and political developments. Shivaji is described as a master strategist in the textbook, who upheld Hindu values while respecting other religions. The book notes his efforts in rebuilding desecrated temples. The Sikh Gurus also receive substantial space, with their resistance to Mughal oppression highlighted, especially under Aurangzeb. Beyond its content, the Class 8 textbook takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining history, geography, and civics. Students explore India's electoral system, visit the new Parliament building through illustrations, and discuss real-life issues like why people vote or don't. The book has also made space for marginalised voices, including tribal and regional uprisings like the Santhal, Kol, and Indigo Rebellions, and has incorporated digital tools, with QR codes linking to additional resources.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Pre-bypoll push falls flat: LIT's dues settlement schemes see lukewarm response
Ludhiana: In a bid to woo voters ahead of the Ludhiana West bypoll, the administration rolled out two special policies under the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) — one for settling long-pending non-construction fees and another one-time settlement (OTS) scheme for allottees who failed to pay instalments for their allotted properties. But despite the seemingly generous offer, the public response has been underwhelming. With just 20 days left before the July 31 deadline, the response remains muted — only 155 applications have come in under the non-construction fee (NCF) policy and 100 under the OTS scheme. Officials had hoped for a better turnout but blame poor recordkeeping and lack of awareness for the disinterest. The policies were notified on April 17, but LIT officials now pin their hopes on a last-minute rush, saying beneficiaries often tend to settle dues closer to the deadline. In 2016, a one-time settlement policy had been notified for six months, during which 372 applications were received — a higher response compared to the current policy, which was open for a shorter period. Sources revealed that LIT officials lack accurate data on the number of defaulters for non-construction fees (NCF) or pending instalments. This is largely because records are not maintained plot-wise. Further, officials often don't know whether a plot is still with the original allottee or has been sold further — unless someone approaches the clerks in the sale branch directly. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it legal? How to get Internet without paying a subscription? Techno Mag Learn More Undo Sources added that this lack of proper recordkeeping has left LIT dependent entirely on defaulters to come forward on their own. In some cases, localities developed by LIT were later transferred to the municipal corporation (MC), resulting in incomplete or lost records. Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) chairperson Tarsem Bhinder admitted that they received fewer applications for the two policies, however, he claimed that he has asked the concerned staff to start contacting the defaulters to reap the benefit of the schemes. He highlighted that the LIT had lesser staff to handle additional tasks. Under the one-time settlement policy for the Non-Construction Fee (NCF), a 50% discount is offered on the total amount due (principal + interest) to allottees of properties under LIT development schemes — whether less than or more than 15 years have passed since the allotment letter was issued. For cases older than 15 years, the NCF is fixed at 5% of the applicable reserve rate. Additionally, senior citizens, women, and legal heirs of Armed or Paramilitary Forces personnel killed in action are eligible for an extra 25% discount on the already reduced NCF amount. After getting an exemption from the govt under the One-Time Relaxation Policy on the NCF, the allottee will be bound to deposit the amount and construct his property by getting the plan approved by Dec 31. Similarly, under the one-time settlement for pending dues where allottees have made some kind of payment, this exemption is applicable only in those cases in which the allottees have deposited 1/4th part of the amount after the allotment of the concerned property. According to this, the allottees will be able to regularise their property by depositing the remaining amount at the applicable rate (at simple interest) and restoration charges at the rate of 2.5 percent at the reserve rate for the year 2025-26 as per the rules issued from time to time. Complete exemption was given on penalty/penal interest.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
State revises timetable for Std 1 & 2; Art & PE hrs restored
Mumbai: The Maharashtra state government has released a revised timetable for classes 1 and 2, dropping the controversial proposal to make Hindi mandatory. The new schedule mandates only Marathi and English as compulsory languages and introduces an 'Additional Enrichment Period' aimed at providing academic support through remedial teaching, skill development, or preparation for competitive exams. The move comes after backlash over the June 18 circular, prompting the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to roll back many of its earlier changes. Art and Physical Education, which had seen their annual hours slashed to 81 and 40, respectively, in the earlier version, have now been restored to 122 and 61 hours. Additionally, class session durations have been aligned with National Curriculum Framework (NCF) norms, increased to 45–60 minutes from the previously proposed 35–45 minutes. Though the state has provided a model weekly timetable, schools retain flexibility in organising the daily order of subjects and start and end times. However, they are not permitted to reduce the total weekly or annual instructional hours. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The Additional Enrichment Period is not part of the standard timetable but serves as supplementary learning time. Another provision includes 10 designated bagless days annually for experiential learning and reducing academic pressure. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Glicemia acima de 130? Insira essa fruta no seu café da manhã G!Saú Undo However, concerns remain over the impact of extended school hours. Mahendra Ganpule, former head of the Maharashtra School Principals' Association, warned, "With schools operating in two shifts, children may end up leaving as late as 6:45pm. That's too late — especially with city traffic and rural safety concerns after sunset." The new timetable will be implemented for Std 1 from the academic year 2025–26. For Std 2, the rollout will be contingent on the printing of new textbooks.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
State revises timetable for Std 1 & 2; Hindi not mandatory
Mumbai: The Maharashtra state government has released a revised timetable for classes 1 and 2, dropping the controversial proposal to make Hindi mandatory. The new schedule mandates only Marathi and English as compulsory languages and introduces an 'Additional Enrichment Period' aimed at providing academic support through remedial teaching, skill development, or preparation for competitive exams. The move comes after backlash over the June 18 circular, prompting the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to roll back many of its earlier changes. Art and Physical Education, which had seen their annual hours slashed to 81 and 40, respectively, in the earlier version, have now been restored to 122 and 61 hours. Additionally, class session durations have been aligned with National Curriculum Framework (NCF) norms, increased to 45–60 minutes from the previously proposed 35–45 minutes. Though the state has provided a model weekly timetable, schools retain flexibility in organising the daily order of subjects and start and end times. However, they are not permitted to reduce the total weekly or annual instructional hours. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The Additional Enrichment Period is not part of the standard timetable but serves as supplementary learning time. Another provision includes 10 designated bagless days annually for experiential learning and reducing academic pressure. However, concerns remain over the impact of extended school hours. Mahendra Ganpule, former head of the Maharashtra School Principals' Association, warned, "With schools operating in two shifts, children may end up leaving as late as 6:45pm. That's too late — especially with city traffic and rural safety concerns after sunset." The new timetable will be implemented for Std 1 from the academic year 2025–26. For Std 2, the rollout will be contingent on the printing of new textbooks.
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maharashtra's controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6
After Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the government resolutions introducing a third language from Class 1 in state board schools had been scrapped, the controversy has been put to rest for now. The government has also set up a committee, led by economist and educationist Dr Narendra Jadhav, to re-examine the issue. Following Fadnavis's Sunday announcement, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena UBT declared this rollback as a victory ahead of their planned protest on July 5. Difference between national and state curricula There is a significant difference in the stages at which the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) and Maharashtra's State Curriculum Framework for School Education (SCF-SE) introduce a third language in school education. According to the New Education Policy (NEP) floated by the Centre, school education is divided into a 5+3+3+4 pedagogical and curricular structure, replacing the current 10+2 format. The first five years comprise the Foundational Stage, which includes three years of preschool, Class 1, and Class 2. The next three years are the Preparatory Stage, consisting of classes 3 to 5. The next three years constitute the Middle Stage, from classes 6 to 8, and the next four years comprise the Secondary Stage, from classes 9 to 12. NEP says the three-language formula will continue to be implemented with greater flexibility, and no language will be imposed on any state. The purpose of the NCF-SE is to help bring about the changes recommended in NEP. According to NCF-SE, R1 and R2 — the first and second school languages — are introduced from the Preparatory Stage, and by the end of the Middle Stage, a student is expected to understand and appreciate the distinctive features of the language, engage in collaborative discussions, and read and write independently in both the languages. The framework adds a third language is to be introduced in the Middle Stage, which is from Class 6 onwards. 'A new third Language, R3, is introduced in this (Middle) stage. Students acquire familiarity with the spoken form of this language, along with the basics of reading and writing.' However, Maharashtra's SCF-SE differed from NCF by calling for a 'detailed introduction' to R3 in the Preparatory Stage, which is Class 1 to Class 5. 'For this stage and all subsequent stages, efforts should be made to bring the language courses to the same level of 100 marks for R1, R2 and R3,' it says. Expert speak Dhir Jhingran, Member, National Steering Committee for development of NCF, disagrees with formally introducing a third language in school education in Class 1 or Class 3. Jhingran, who is also the founder of the Language and Learning Foundation, told The Indian Express that children should focus on developing a strong proficiency in their first language, and a second language in the early years. 'And there the focus is on building the foundation of strong literacy in two languages, which means comprehension, reading, fluency, writing, et cetera. So it requires those five to seven years to build this kind of proficiency in two languages.' 'If the child has natural exposure to languages, for example, in a household, the grandmother speaks something else, the mother and the father speak something else, you'll find a child is naturally able to pick up to three languages. But the problem is that if a child is formally taught, once you introduce Hindi or whatever as a subject, there'll be a textbook, there'll be teaching, the child has to do writing and there'll be copying work taught in a very dreary and didactic manner, which makes it very difficult for the child to actually learn a language,' he says. He says acquiring a language and gaining literacy in a language are two different matters. 'Acquiring language means that a child at home picks up words and is able to speak, because we work through gestures, and the child picks up in different ways. But once you say literacy, the child has to understand which sound is for what symbol and how do you combine what are the spellings of different words, etc. It's an overload for the child'. Following political and academic backlash over the introduction of the third language, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse announced at the end of June that in classes 1 and 2, students would only be taught oral skills, with written skills to be introduced from class 3. However, this is still three years before the NEP recommendation of Class 6. Jhingran also says increasing the curriculum burden on a child goes contrary to the goals of NEP. 'Someone may argue that in Maharashtra, all children know how to listen to Hindi, and so starting it earlier is less problematic than, say, starting French in grade three. But again, if you teach it as a subject, you're adding to the child's workload. Science, social science, and math curricula are not going away, but you're adding one more subject on which the child will be tested. So that is curricular overload. And NEP actually very clearly says, you should try to reduce the curricular burden.' 'Freedom to make necessary changes' The Maharashtra Government provided various reasons for deciding to implement the third language from Class 1. In a statement shared before the scrapping of the GRs, the School Education and Sports Department said, 'Students enjoy learning a new language and can easily learn it at an easy level at a young age.' It added that in Maharashtra, 10 per cent of students study in non-Marathi medium government-run schools, such as those offering Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Gujarati, and Urdu. These students are taught Marathi and English from Class 1 in addition to their medium language, and they learn three languages. Therefore, it stated, if students from Marathi-medium schools are not taught a third language, they will lose out on Academic Bank of Credit points for classes 1 to 5. The state also argued that Hindi is familiar to children in Maharashtra from a young age; therefore, it will not academically burden the students. 'The Supreme Court has already made it clear that the National Education Policy 2020 is not binding on any state in the country. Therefore, the state has the freedom to make necessary changes in its own education policy or the National Education Policy 2020…' However, it remains to be seen how the Jadhav committee will re-examine the issue of introducing a third language in school education in Maharashtra in its report, which will be submitted after three months. Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
