On Monday, 19 December, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha that the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) should include Shlokas from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and knowledge from Vedas in textbooks in Sanskrit from classes 11th to 12th. Besides, references from Bhagavadgita should be incorporated in NCERT textbooks of classes 6th to 7th.
Annapurna Devi, Minister of State for Education, stated in a written response that the ministry formed the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) Division in the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2020 with the goal of promoting interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research on all facets of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), preserving and disseminating IKS knowledge for further research and societal applications.
Minister Devi stated that NCERT has begun the development of National Curriculum Frameworks (NCF) where inputs from various ministries, departments, states, and union territories are invited from grass root levels.
She added that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2022, paragraph 4.27, refers to Indian traditional knowledge that is both sustainable and strives for the welfare of all. She also laid emphasis on teaching the world the “Indian way of doing things.”
“To become the knowledge power in this century, we must understand our heritage and teach the world the ‘Indian way’ of doing things,” she asserted.
Notably, the parliamentary panel has also advised the NCERT to incorporate the achievements and sacrifices of “unsung freedom fighters” from all regions of the country including the Northeast.
Additionally, it was suggested that prominent Indian female personalities from various professions be included in NCERT’s “regular books” with their contributions in order to make it “mandatory reading material.”
To no surprise, the move has been criticized by the Congress party and the other opposition parties. The opposition has alleged that the Narendra Modi government is trying to saffronise the Indian education system.