In response to evolving political, social, economic, and technological factors post-COVID-19, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has updated its social science textbooks, including the newly introduced class VI textbook titled Exploring Society India and Beyond. This textbook integrates five main themes, combining inputs from disciplines such as history, geography, political science, and economics into a unified narrative. While experts have raised concerns about the potential disruption to students’ understanding of these subjects due to the significant shifts in content, the NCERT defends the changes, aligning them with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework School Education (NCF-SE), which advocate for a modernized philosophy of education.
A senior NCERT official, speaking on condition of anonymity, emphasized the importance of understanding the ethos behind the textbook’s radically new approach. “The revised NCERT textbook is a completely different approach based on the NCF-SE, with less textual content to discourage rote learning, more relevance to the child’s environment, engaging visuals, pedagogical activities, a stimulating design rooted in India, and, above all, an introduction to critical thinking by guiding the child to reflect on core ideas rather than absorbing masses of data,” the official stated.
A Holistic Perspective on Indian Civilization
The new textbook’s content includes an emphasis on the Sarasvati river’s significance in early Indian civilization, referring to the Harappan civilization as the ‘Sindhu-Sarasvati’ civilization. Additionally, it introduces the concept of India’s prime meridian, Madhya-Rekha, predating the Greenwich Meridian of Europe. According to the NCERT official, “The textbook, under Theme B: Tapestry of the Past, provides students with an understanding of India’s early growth on the banks of the Sindhu and Sarasvati rivers. The Harappan cities were naturally settled along both rivers, justifying the reference to the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization.”
The recognition of Madhya-Rekha, particularly in the context of its civilizational and cultural significance during the Maurya-Gupta period, is also highlighted in the textbook. The official explained that this recognition is in line with the NEP 2020 and NCF-SE’s aim to create a more holistic and India-centric education system.
Curriculum Changes and Integration of Disciplines
The new textbook’s syllabus differs significantly from previous versions, resulting in the omission of several chapters on ancient Indian kingdoms, including the Maurya and Gupta dynasties. The official clarified that the new social science textbook for class VI is based on the NCF-SE 2023, with chapters organized under five themes: 1) India and the World: Land and People, 2) Tapestry of the Past, 3) Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions, 4) Governance and Democracy, and 5) Economic Life Around Us. “This integrated approach means the names of the chapters differ, and comparisons with the previous textbook, based on the NCF 2005, are not applicable,” the official noted.
Moreover, the textbook includes sections from the Vedas but excludes references to the caste system and the barring of women and shudras from studying the Vedic scriptures, which were present in earlier versions. The official explained that while the Vedas are introduced under Theme C: Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions, the textbook does not delve deeply into Vedic society. Issues such as the caste system and gender roles are addressed in other chapters across grades VI to VIII.
Post-Pandemic Textbook Updates
Addressing the modifications in the textbook post-pandemic, the official stated that the updates were made to reflect changes in political-social, economic, and technological aspects, rather than to simply rationalize the syllabus and lighten students’ academic loads. The updates aim to avoid confusion among students regarding recent developments and enhance their comprehension, ultimately reducing their academic burden.
Promoting Multidisciplinary Learning
The textbook’s integration of history, geography, political science (formerly civics), and economics into a single book aims to promote an interconnected understanding of social sciences. The official explained, “This deliberate design not only lightens the overall load but also demonstrates the interconnections between these disciplines. Multidisciplinarity is one of the NCF-SE’s objectives, and this is best achieved by keeping all subjects in a single book.”
While world history is introduced briefly, it is not yet a core subject in class VI. The official mentioned that world history will be gradually incorporated from grade VII onwards, with syllabi for those grades currently under revision.
Teacher Training and Implementation
To familiarize teachers with the new textbook’s pedagogical approach, the NCERT conducted online training sessions for key resource persons of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) on July 24-25, with around 600 teachers participating. The Council also encouraged teachers from Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) and CBSE schools to join the sessions via YouTube. This training initiative was extended to all other NCERT class VI textbooks as well.
