THIRUVANANDAPURAM: Kerala's Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, has taken a firm stance against the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for its decision to eliminate significant portions from school textbooks. He strongly criticized the board's actions, alleging that their intent was to cultivate a society entrenched in hostility and enmity. Vijayan expressed his concerns while unveiling supplementary textbooks that reintegrate the sections that NCERT had removed from the curriculum meant for Class 11 and 12 students.
During his address, Vijayan emphasized that the Central government's efforts could alter students' social and historical perspectives, potentially putting the foundation of a society built on secularism and unity at risk. He urged for greater scrutiny of textbook modifications carried out under the guise of rationalization. Vijayan pointed out that by excising segments related to the Mughal Empire, the Central government was attempting to convey the notion that the nation exclusively belonged to a specific group.
"They excised the history of the Mughals to propagate the idea that this country solely belonged to a particular faction, fostering among children the belief that all other groups ought to be excluded," he asserted.
The Chief Minister underscored the necessity of distorting social realities to establish a religious state, a goal he warned against. Furthermore, Vijayan highlighted that the launch of these supplementary textbooks aimed to provide students with a high-quality education, equipping them with scientific and factual knowledge gained through schooling. He noted that these supplementary materials were developed to include indispensable components within subjects such as history, economics, political science, sociology, and more.
Vijayan also made it clear that Kerala was closely monitoring the developments surrounding NCERT's significant revisions to the textbooks, viewing the situation with the utmost gravity.
