Fact-Check: Education Minister's Claims On Class 6 NCERT Textbooks False
After Congress raised concerns over reports of alleged removal of the Preamble of the Constitution from class 3 and 6 NCERT textbooks, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called the accusations “fact-less.” He claimed that the new books of NCERT for class 6th have the preamble, fundamental rights, fundamental duties, and the national anthem.
What Pradhan Said
The Minister of Education said, “The LoP (Rahul Gandhi) raised some fact-less issues. Quoting a newspaper cutting, he alleged that the preamble which was included in the textbooks had been removed from the Class 6th book.” The education minister clarified that no such changes are made He said, “I clarified that the new books of NCERT for Class 6th have all the preamble, fundamental duties, fundamental rights, and National Anthem.”
Read Also: ‘New Books Of Class 6th NCERT Have All The Preamble’: Dharmendra Pradhan
What The Class 6 NCERT Textbooks Say
The Hindi textbook called ‘Malhar’ and the science textbook ‘Curiosity’ only have the preamble.
Arts textbook ‘Kriti-1’ and vocational education’s ‘Kaushal Bodh’ only have the fundamental duties listed out.
The physical education textbook ‘Khel Yatra’ has the fundamental rights and preamble. The vocational education textbook ‘Kaushal Bodh’ has the preamble, fundamental rights, and duties.
The English textbook ‘Poorvi’ only has the national anthem.
Social science’s ‘Exploring Society India and Beyond’ has the fundamental rights and fundamental duties listed out.
‘Deepakam,’ the Sanskrit textbook, has the national anthem and the national song.
A quick look at the NCERT textbooks for class 6 does not support the union minister’s claims. Unlike Pradhan’s claim, where he stated that no changes had been made, none of the NCERT Class 6th books have “all the preamble, fundamental rights, fundamental duties, and the national anthem.” While some do have the preamble mentioned, many do not. While some have the fundamental rights and duties listed out, many do not.
Read Also: ‘Modi Govt Is Tampering With The Constitution Through Textbooks’: Kharge
Earlier, Pradhan had accused the Congress party of “spreading lies” and disrespecting the Constitution in a “desperate attempt.” Taking to X, he had stated, “For the first time under the National Education Policy, NCERT has given due importance and respect to various aspects of the Indian Constitution – Preamble, Fundamental Duties, Fundamental Rights, National Anthem – in the textbooks.”
His response came after party president Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue in the Parliament and sought clarification from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
