NCERT makes changes to history and civics textbooks, removing chapters related to Mughal Empire

The NCERT has made changes to Class 12th History textbooks by removing the chapters related to the Mughal Empire. Consequently, CBSE students will no longer be studying the Mughal courts’ history. Similarly, the Basic Education Department (BSE) in Uttar Pradesh has also revised its Class 12th History syllabus in line with this decision.

According to reports, the NCERT has recently made changes to the syllabus of several history and civics textbooks. Specifically, in the revised Class 12th History syllabus for the academic session 2023-24, chapters and topics related to ‘Kings and Chronicles; the Mughal Courts (C. 16th and 17th centuries)’ have been removed from the ‘Themes of Indian History-Part II’ book. The Civics textbook for Class 12 has also been updated, with the removal of chapters such as ‘US hegemony in world politics’ and ‘The Cold War Era’ as well as the ‘Rise of popular movements’ and ‘Era of one-party dominance’ from the ‘Politics in Indian since Independence’ textbook.

Additionally, the NCERT has made changes to the Class 10th and Class 11th textbooks. In the Class 11th textbook, chapters including ‘Themes In World History’, ‘Central Islamic lands’, ‘Confrontation of cultures’, and ‘The Industrial Revolution’ have been removed, while in the Class 10th ‘Democratic Politics-II’ textbook, chapters such as ‘Democracy and diversity’, ‘Popular struggles and movement’, and ‘Challenges to democracy’ have been dropped.

The Class 12 history books had previously covered topics such as the “Akbarnama” (which was the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar), the “Badshah Nama” (chronicle of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan), the Mughal rulers and their empire, the composition of manuscripts, colour illustrations, ideal states, capitals and courts, titles, gifts and presents, the royal family, royal bureaucracy, Mughal elite, information and empire, as well as borders. However, these topics have now been removed from the syllabus.

Reacting to the changes made, principal, Maharishi Patanjali Vidya Mandir, Prayagraj, Alpona Dey said, “NCERT books are being updated as per the provisions of the new National Education Policy (NEP)-2020. New content is being added by removing topics that have become irrelevant.” Changes in the syllabus were made from time to time which was a good thing, she added.

The UP Board of Secondary Education (UP Board) has announced that the syllabus for classes 10th, 11th, and 12th, which is based on the NCERT curriculum, will be updated to reflect the recent changes.

As per the Uttar Pradesh Board Secretary, Divyakant Shukla, the revised syllabus for Classes 10th, 11th, and 12th has been finalized, and the updated UP Board Syllabus for the academic session 2023-24 will be uploaded on the official website. Furthermore, all the boards that follow the NCERT curriculum will also revise their syllabus to align with the recent changes. The books with the updated syllabus are already available in the market.