Kerala's Education Minister, V Sivankutty, has expressed his opposition to the recommendations submitted to the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) proposing the replacement of the word 'India' with 'Bharat.' He referred to this move as an act of "narrow politics" and raised questions about the underlying motives, suggesting that there are "twisted interests" at play. Sivankutty firmly stated that Kerala would not accept these recommendations, emphasizing that citizens have the right to use either 'India' or 'Bharat' in accordance with the Constitution.
He also revealed that a State Curriculum Committee would be established to engage in a detailed discussion about the 44 textbooks currently in use. This committee's focus would be on preserving academic integrity. Kerala is committed to safeguarding the accuracy of "historical facts" and would resist any attempts to distort history or introduce unconstitutional and unscientific content. Sivankutty pointed out that when certain portions were removed from textbooks by the NCERT previously, Kerala included them as additional reading material, underlining the state's commitment to academic rigor.
The controversy arose when one of the 25 panels at the NCERT, responsible for modifying textbook content, accepted a proposal to replace 'India' with 'Bharat' in educational materials. The decision has been sent to NCERT, Delhi, and awaits a final verdict. The NCERT has described the matter as "too premature" to comment on, citing the ongoing development of new syllabi and textbooks.
Additionally, the panel that supported the proposal to use 'Bharat' in textbooks also recommended emphasizing 'Hindu victories' and introducing 'classical history' in lieu of 'ancient history' within the educational materials.
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