Kerala Education Minister Demands Reconstitution Of NCERT With Representatives From All States

Accusing NCERT of teaching students a `communal` history, Kerala education minister V Sivakutty said Kerala would uphold constitutional values in educational policies.

Thiruvananthapuram: Commending on the recent controversy surrounding NCERT`s decision to omit certain portions from the school syllabus, Kerala education minister V Sivankutty demanded that NCERT board, should be reconstituted with representatives inclusion from all states. He alleged that NCERT`S decision is on behalf of RSS to saffronise Indian history.

"The decision to exclude certain key portions from NCERT textbook can`t be the decision of NCERT alone, it can only be seen as the decision of BJP govt. They have the same ideologies as RSS and BJP government is implementing the visions of RSS. The NCERT should be reconstituted with representatives from all states," V Sivankutty alleged.

Accusing NCERT of teaching students a `communal` history Sivakutty said Kerala would uphold constitutional values in educational policies. "Kerala will uphold constitutional values and will give importance to academic interests. India has its own history which was recorded by many. Now NCERT is teaching the new generation a new history based on communalism," the minister said.

Alleging the central government of pursuing a vested political interest rather than the academic interest he said Kerala will not use NCERT textbooks of 11th and 12th standards. "we will not use NCERT textbooks in 11th and 12th standards. The central government is giving importance to vested interest rather than academic interests".

The decision to drop certain portions, especially relating to Mughal history caused political controversy with several opposition parties alleging it was part of a saffronisation agenda of the BJP government. But NCERT says that it was done as part of the rationalization.