Include Ramayana and Mahabharata in the textbooks, recommends NCERT panel

The NCERT panel recommends adding Ramayana and Mahabharata in textbooks. The committee also recommended to write the Preamble of the Indian constitution on the walls

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had constituted a seven-member panel last year to revise the school curriculum of social science. The committee has recommended to add epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata in textbooks and write the Preamble of the Indian Constitution on the walls of the classrooms, Hindustan Times reported.

The recommendations made by the committee will now be considered by the 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) notified in July to finalise the curriculum, learning and textbooks of these classes. 

The NCERT committee proposed to add Indian knowledge systems, such as the Vedas, and Ayurveda in the textbooks. These suggestions are for the final position paper on social sciences, and these papers are considered key documents helping NCERT develop new textbooks. However, the proposal has yet to get the final nod from the council.

The Chairperson of the NCERT committee, CI Issac, also made a statement that the panel recommends classifying history into four periods; the classical period, the mediaeval period, the British era, and modern India. Until now, Indian history has been divided into three parts; ancient, Mediaeval and modern India. CI Issac is a retired history professor. 

While talking about the positive impact of teaching Ramayana and Mahabharata to classes 7 to 12 students, Issac added the committee thinks that teaching Ramayana and Mahabharata to students in their teenage years will help build patriotism, self-esteem, and pride for their nation. 

“Every year thousands of students leave the country and seek citizenship in other countries because of the lack of patriotism among them. Therefore, it is important for them to understand their roots and develop a love for their country and their culture,” CI Issac further said.

Issac also mentioned that some boards were teaching Ramayana to students as a ‘myth.’ He said there is no purpose of the education system if the students are not taught these epics and it will not be nation serving.

There should be a place for all the dynasties in the textbooks that ruled India rather than just one or two, the panel proposed. The committee chairman also informed that the curriculum of the book should also have information about victories and Indian heroes like Subhash Chandra Bose. 

The committee has not made any new recommendations, and the recommendation to include Ramayana and Mahabharata in syllabus was made earlier, Isaac added.

Issac earlier also recommended replacing ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in textbooks and introducing classical History instead of ancient History in the textbooks of classes 3 to 12.