NCERT Overhauls Textbook Panel Following Supreme Court Criticism Over Class 8 Judiciary Corruption Content

NCERT: National Council of Educational Research and Training, NCERT, has officially reestablished the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee, NSTC, following weeks of severe examination by the Supreme Court. The revamp comes after an unpopular part in the now-withdrawn Class 8 social science textbook that highlighted corruption in the judiciary, which the Supreme Court described as a calculated attempt to undermine the dignity of the judiciary.

Key Appointments and Structural Changes

In response to the Supreme Court’s observation that the previous committee lacked eminent jurists, the NCERT has inducted R Venkata Rao, former Vice-Chancellor of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU). Joining him is V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, and Raghuvendra Tanwar, Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research, ICHR.

The committee, which is now expanded to 20 members, has removed three previous members:

• Michel Danino (formerly of IIT Gandhinagar)
• MD Srinivas (Centre for Policy Studies)
• Bibek Debroy (The late Chairman of the PM-EAC).

While some members were replaced, the NCERT retained M.C. Pant as Chairperson and Princeton professor Manjul Bhargava as Co-Chairperson. Other high-profile members like Sudha Murty, Sanjeev Sanyal, and singer Shankar Mahadevan also remain on the panel. 

The newly formed NSTC is entrusted with creating syllabi and teaching materials that are consistent with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020). With the Supreme Court ordering a "blanket ban" on the distribution of earlier Class 8 material, this newly formed group faces the immediate problem of restoring academic neutrality while developing the next generation of school textbooks.

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