The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has revised the history curriculum for Class 12 students, particularly focusing on the emergence and decline of the Harappan Civilisation, Indian Express reported. These revisions come in response to recent investigations into ancient DNA retrieved from archaeological sites at Rakhigarhi, an Indus Valley location in Haryana.
The new studies challenge the traditional understanding of Aryan migration and prompt a reevaluation of potential connections between the Harappans and the Vedic populace.
According to the report, these updates in the portrayal of the Harappan Civilization are backed by archaeological evidence, leading to adjustments in the curriculum. While modifications have been implemented across various subjects for different classes, including 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12, the most substantial changes are observed in the Class 12 history textbooks, particularly in the chapter titled “Bricks, Beads, and Bones – The Harappan Civilization,” within the ‘Themes in Indian History Part-I’.
The NCERT has incorporated three new paragraphs discussing the recent DNA findings from Rakhigarhi. These findings challenge the theory of Aryan migration and emphasise the indigenous roots of the Harappan population in the region.
Meanwhile, as part of the rationalisation process leading to textbook reprints in 2022-23, NCERT discreetly omitted certain sections from reprinted political science, history, and sociology textbooks for Classes 11 and 12. These exclusions included references to Mahatma Gandhi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Nathuram Godse (Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin), and events from contemporary political history such as the Emergency period (1975-77) and the communal unrest during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Several mentions of Islamic monarchs from the Mughal and Delhi Sultanates were also removed. These deletions were not explicitly listed under the “rationalised content” page on the Council’s website.
In November last year, NCERT established a 35-member team to develop instructional and educational resources as well as curriculum for political science, sociology, psychology, geography, and history for classes 6 to 12.
NCERT, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, assists and advises the Central government on framing policies to enhance school education, curriculum development, and textbook creation. NCERT textbooks are widely used across Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)-affiliated schools and have been adopted by several state education boards.