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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
NCERT to unveil two special modules on Operation Sindoor
The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) is developing two special modules on India's strikes against terror infrastructure across Pakistan under Operation Sindoor, with an aim to educate students about the country's military power, education ministry officials said on Saturday. NCERT to unveil two special modules on Operation Sindoor Both modules are under preparation and will be introduced soon, the officials said. 'While the first special module on Operation Sindoor will be for students of Classes 3 to 8 and second will be available for Classes 9 to 12. The achievements of India and her Armed Forces will be described in 8-10 page modules. The aim of these modules is to make students aware about India's military power and how Pakistan was defeated once again,' one of the officials cited above said requesting anonymity. NCERT designs special modules to supplement standard textbooks, focusing on specific themes of contemporary issues. So far, it has published 16 special modules till June 2025 on various themes including Viksit Bharat, Nari Shakti Vandan, G20 and Chandrayaan Utsav. 'In the coming months, NCERT will also be publishing special modules on Mission LiFE ('LiFEStyle For Environment'); horrors of partition; India's rise as a space power– from Chandrayan to Aditya L1 to Subhanshu Shukla's journey to International Space Station,' said another official from the ministry. India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 and struck nine terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as a response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were shot dead by terrorists. It sparked a four-day military confrontation with Pakistan involving fighter jets, missiles, drones, long-range weapons and heavy artillery before the two sides reached an understanding on stopping all military action on May 10. NCERT's newly released Class 8 social science textbook has a mention of surgical strike. The book cites Maratha Empire founder Shivaji's raid on Mughal nobleman Shaishta Khan's camp at night, forcing him to leave what is now Maharashtra, and likens it to 'the modern-day surgical strike'.
News18
2 days ago
- Politics
- News18
NCERT To Add Module On Operation Sindoor, Shubhanshu Shukla's Space Mission In Curriculum
The NCERT is developing a special classroom module on Operation Sindoor to help students learn about India's defence strategy and diplomatic response, according to sources. The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) is developing two special classroom modules on Operation Sindoor– India's strikes against terror infrastructure across Pakistan– with an aim to make students of classes 3-12 learn about India's defence strategy and diplomatic response, news agency PTI reported citing sources. As per sources, two modules are currently under works. The first module is designed for students of Classes 3 to 8, while the second is intended for Classes 9 to 12. Each of these modules are likely to be around 8 to 10 pages long. This classroom module is aimed at helping students understand how nations respond to terror threats and how defence, diplomacy, and coordination between ministries play a role in national security. 'The aim is to make students understand how nations respond to terror threats and how defence, diplomacy, and coordination between ministries play a role in national security," education ministry sources said. Additionally, the NCERT is also planning to introduce the modules exploring India's growing prominence in space, highlighting key missions like Chandrayaan and Aditya-L1, along with the recent achievement of Indian Air Force Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla reaching the International Space Station (ISS) on Axiom Mission 4. 'The modules aim to provide a comprehensive view of India's progress across sectors-from defence to diplomacy, from sustainable development to space exploration," the source added. Operation Sindoor In one of the biggest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Lashkar-linked terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on April 22, killing at least 26 people, including foreign tourists, and injuring many others. The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar offshoot, claimed responsibility for the attack. India responded with Operation Sindoor on May 7, bombing nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in pre-dawn strikes that killed at least 100 militants. The operation sparked four days of cross-border fighting involving fighter jets, missiles and artillery. Axiom-4 Mission IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla along with former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Slawosz Uznanski from Poland (European Space Agency) and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, blasted off to International Space Station as part of Axiom-4 mission on June 25. The mission marked the first time an Indian entered the International Space Station and performed experiments in microgravity. The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission was the fourth private astronaut expedition to the International Space Station. The crew returned safely to Earth onboard SpaceX's Dragon capsule, Grace, on July 15, after it made the splashdown into the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego in Southern California. He was flown to Houston, where he also met his family members, including his wife and child. Shukla brought along with him the results of the seven experiments, which were developed by Indian research institutions under the Human Space Flight Centre's coordination. view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 26, 2025, 22:54 IST News india NCERT To Add Module On Operation Sindoor, Shubhanshu Shukla's Space Mission In Curriculum Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
NCERT issues clarification on revised Class 8 social science textbook content on Mughals: 'Facts based on…'
The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) on Wednesday detailed its rationale behind modifying some content in its Class 8 social science textbook and said that the facts stated were "based on well-known primary and secondary academic sources". Cover of Part 1 of the Class 8 Social Science textbook that the NCERT released.(X/@ncert) Part 1 of the Class 8 textbook in question, titled 'Exploring Society: Indian and Beyond', introduces students to the Delhi Sultanate, Mughals, Marathas and more. The book emphasises "many instances of religious intolerance" during the Mughal era. "This textbook attempts to provide an idea about the geography, history (medieval & modern), economic life and governance of the country, from a multi-disciplinary perspective in an integrated way," the NCERT statement read. Introducing the book, the NCERT said it aims to avoid burdening the child with too much information and to develop a critical understanding. "Class 8 being the last year of the middle stage, the students are expected to acquire broad multidisciplinary perspective in understanding of our past between 13th to Mid-19th century and how the various events of that period have helped to shape and influenced the evolution of India of today," the NCERT said in a press release. The book references "brutal and ruthless conqueror" Babur's wiping off "entire populations of cities", and Aurangzeb destroying temples and gurdwaras. These references are made in the 'Note on Some Darker Periods in History' section at the beginning of the book. The section comes as a disclaimer for students before they begin learning about war and bloodshed. The NCERT says this section was added to "avoid generation of any prejudice and misunderstanding". "A cautionary note has been inserted in one of the chapters to make it clear that no one should be held responsible today for events of the past. The emphasis is on an honest approach to history with a view to drawing from it important lessons for a better future,' NCERT earlier said in a statement. It argues that the historical account mentioned in the book is evidence-based and balanced. 'Indian history cannot be cannot sanitised and presented as a smooth, happy development throughout. There were bright periods but also dark periods where people suffered, so we have given note on the darker chapters of history, and also given a disclaimer that no one today should be regarded as responsible for whatever happened in the past,' The Hindu quoted Michel Danino, head of NCERT's Curricular Area Group for Social Science, as saying. Although earlier editions addressed some of these topics in Class 7, the NCERT states that the timeline has now been moved entirely to Class 8, in accordance with the recommendations of the 2023 National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE).
Hindustan Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
NCERT Class 8 textbook revision features ‘brutality' of Delhi Sultanate, 'intolerance' of Mughals with a disclaimer
The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) has revised the Class 8 social science textbook, pointing out many instances of "religious intolerance" during the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal period. NCERT released Part 1 of the Social Science book for Class 8, 'Exploring Society: Indian and Beyond'. (Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times) The book, which introduces the students to the Sultanate and the Mughal periods, describes 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 Indian Express reported. The NCERT said it has included a disclaimer with the revisions in a 'Note on Some Darker Periods in History' that 'no one should be held responsible today for events of the past'. What does the NCERT book say about the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals? NCERT released Part 1 of the Social Science book for Class 8, 'Exploring Society: Indian and Beyond'. The book is for use in the ongoing academic session. The above-mentioned book is the first in the new NCERT books to introduce students to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal period. Although the period between the 13th and the 18th century was introduced to students in Class 7 in earlier years, the NCERT said that the period of Indian history that will cover the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, and the Marathas will now only be dealt with in Class 8 in the new syllabus, IE reported. The book's chapters, 'Reshaping India's Political Map,' cover Indian history from the 13th to the 17th century. They include the rise and fall of the Delhi Sultanate and resistance to it, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Mughals and resistance to them, and the rise of the Sikhs. The chapters describe the Sultanate period as one marked by political instability and military campaigns that saw villages and cities being plundered and temples and seats of learning destroyed. The sections on the Sultanate and the Mughals contain multiple references to 'attacks' on temples and the 'brutality' of some of the rulers. These instances are not mentioned in the old Class 7 NCERT book that introduced students to the same period of history. 'The events…(and many more) did happen and left their mark on Indian history; the rationale for including them has been explained in the 'Note on Some Darker Periods in History'. The historical account given, while it does not sanitise history, is balanced and entirely evidence-based. Besides, in addition to the 'Note on Some Darker Periods in History', a cautionary note has been inserted in one of the chapters to make it clear that no one should be held responsible today for events of the past. The emphasis is on an honest approach to history with a view to drawing from it important lessons for a better future,' NCERT said in a statement. NCERT has been publishing new school textbooks in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. So far, new books for classes 1 to 4 and classes 6 and 7 have been released; books for classes 5 and 8 are now being made available.
Indian Express
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Opinion India has chosen diversity when it comes to language. We should not defeat the purpose behind that choice
Language has become a recurring issue in Indian politics — be it the debates over language policy under the NEP (National Education Policy), speeches on Hindi Diwas or the recent renaming of primary school English-medium textbooks in Hindi by the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT). The renaming of NCERT textbooks has been criticised by the Kerala education minister, who called it 'sabotaging the linguistic diversity of our country'. The NCERT, however, justified its actions, saying that the new names of the books are taken from Indian ragas and musical instruments like Sarangi, Poorvi, Mridang — aligning with Indian culture. On the face of it, one may ask: What's in a name? If the curriculum being taught is in the English language, which the students have opted for, then what is the issue? German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer remarked that one cannot separate language from thoughts and understanding. Names define our identities. To speak is to translate thoughts into words, culture into language. Hermeneutic philosophy understands language as dialogical, continuously developing through interaction. This perspective cannot be reduced to information transmission. Rather, it emphasises the importance of dialogue, a central element of Indian philosophical traditions of Darsana and Mimansa, which thrive on critique and commentary. So, keeping the Indian tradition of discourse and argumentation in mind, we must promote cooperative federalism and benefit from the rich multilingual resources. All Indian languages — whether of Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Austro-Asian, or Tibeto-Burman origin — are a repository of knowledge. Linguistic diversity has always been a defining feature of our democracy. The Constituent Assembly debates are a testimony to the long discussions and deliberations for safeguarding the pluralistic features of Indian society, even in the face of a partition on religious grounds. Federal principles were enshrined in the Constitution to promote and preserve the multilingual-multicultural ethos — a departure from the Western model of a nation-state, wherein the dominant language sets the norm. India set an example for other linguistically plural states to adopt an alternative model that celebrates cultural-linguistic diversity. Thus, 'unity in diversity' became the foundational mantra of the Indian Constitution. In fact, India proved Western predictions – that Indian democracy was deemed to fail – wrong by adopting the policy of federal power-sharing. Moreover, since the days of coalition politics, India has experienced stronger federal relationships that accommodate diverse views. Like Spain, Croatia, Nigeria, South Africa, Wales, Canada and recently the US, India too, faced contests over language. It took years of policymaking, negotiations, conflict management, strategic plans and compromises to maintain peace. Constitutional distribution of power between the Centre and states, linguistic reorganisation of the states, fulfilling various demands for state-formation based on cultural-linguistic uniqueness, inclusion of the fifth and sixth Schedules to protect the rights of indigenous communities, the three-language formula, mother-tongue education, along with single citizenship and a unified judiciary, all were designed to keep India together. All these efforts made multilingualism the backbone of our democracy. Now, it is being tapped by international companies to build large language models. Rather than disturbing our linguistic harmony by renaming textbooks, we need to strengthen intra-state ties, especially with respect to the Opposition-ruled ones, if we want to flourish in the field of artificial intelligence, which feeds on the multiplicity of languages. While it is debatable whether India's federalism has fared well, the fact that it has survived so far with all its flaws shows that the accommodation of diversity has worked better than forced assimilation. We must learn from our own past.
