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The education ministry has ordered a probe into NCERT's decision to blacklist a firm which was tasked with paper supply for textbooks and failed to meet the timeline, sources said. Bafna Global Venture Private Limited moved the Delhi High Court on June 24 citing a blacklisting order by NCERT issued on June 22 barring it for two years from participating in the procurement process of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). While nobody from the NCERT appeared for the high court hearing, the court granted impunity to the firm from coercive action till further orders. The court also restrained the NCERT from invoking over Rs 6 crore bank guarantee furnished by the paper supplier. "Taking serious note of reports that NCERT failed to effectively defend its decision to blacklist a paper supplier before the Delhi High Court, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has directed strict action against the officers responsible for the lapse," a source said. "The minister h
Months after a class 8 NCERT textbook courted controversy for allegedly maligning the judiciary, a new class 9 textbook describes it as an "impartial and independent institution that safeguards citizens' rights and upholds the spirit of the Constitution". However, the new class 9 textbook was prepared before the controversy over the class 8 textbook broke out. The new social science textbook talks about various functions of the judiciary, stating that it reviews executive actions and constitutional amendments, can invalidate unconstitutional laws, upholds the Constitution and "plays a vital role in protecting and promoting democratic values and the rights of all sections of the society". Under a section titled "Separation of Powers" in a chapter on democracy, the textbook highlights that the judiciary takes public interest litigation (PIL) from time to time to ensure access to justice for all. In February, a controversy broke out over the National Council of Educational Research an
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is now part of the NCERT's class 9 Social Science textbook, which describes it as an exercise to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of the voter list and no ineligible person is included. The new National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbook also lauds the Election Commission of India (ECI) for conducting impartial polls despite challenges such as fake news, misinformation and intimidation. The SIR, which has so far led to the deletion of nearly 6 crore names from the electoral rolls and led to acrimony between the opposition parties and the ECI, has completed a year and continues in 19 states and Union territories. The pilot SIR commenced in Bihar on June 24 last year ahead of the state polls. The result was a pruned voter list, with nearly 65 lakh names dropped amid claims by the opposition and activists that the ECI was working at the BJP's behest to disenfranchise citizens for want of ...
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a plea challenging a CBSE policy mandating the study of three languages, including two native Indian languages, for Class 9 students beginning July 1. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi issued notices to the Centre, the CBSE and the NCERT and sought comprehensive replies within two weeks. The top court asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to submit a report on the logistical preparedness of the CBSE to implement the decision and posted the matter for hearing in the second week of July. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the petitioner Yashica Bhandari Jain and others, submitted that a nationwide circular has been issued by the CBSE, which states that the students have to study three languages from the next academic year. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for some other petitioners, said the issue involved constitutional issues of federalism and ...
The Supreme Court on Friday modified its March 11 order that had directed the Centre, states and others to disassociate from three academics, following a row over an NCERT book chapter containing "offending" contents on corruption in the judiciary. The apex court left it open to the Centre, states, Union territories, public universities and institutions that receive funds from the central or state governments to take an independent decision on the issue, without being influenced by its observations made in the March 11 order. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi also recalled the part of the March 11 order that had recorded that the three academics -- Professor Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar -- had "deliberately and knowingly misrepresented the facts" in order to project a negative image of the Indian judiciary to the students of Class 8. The bench passed the order while hearing a plea moved by t
The NCERT has reconstituted its curriculum committee after being rapped by the Supreme Court over a section on "Corruption in Judiciary" in the now-withdrawn Class 8 Social Science textbook, officials said on Wednesday. The high-powered, 20-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) includes IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti; Indian Council of Historical Research Chairman Raghuvendra Tanwar; former Vice-Chancellor of the National Law School of India University R Venkata Rao; and Amarendra Prasad Behera, Joint Director-in-Charge, Central Institute of Educational Technology,NCERT. Earlier, the panel had 22 members. Following Supreme Court orders, three members have been removed from the NSTC. These are Michel Danino, former guest professor at IIT Gandhinagar; M D Srinivas, chairman of the Centre for Policy Studies, Chennai; and the late Bibek Debroy, former chairman of the Prime Minister's
The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been formally declared a deemed-to-be university empowering it to award its own degrees, officials said. "The Ministry of Education, on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC), NCERT along with its six constituent units have been declared as deemed to be University under distinct category," an official notification said. These constituent units include regional institutes of education in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru and Shillong, along with the Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education in Bhopal. As the apex organisation for school education, the NCERT undertakes various activities and programmes, including educational research and innovation, curriculum development and development of textual and teaching-learning materials. Three years back, the Centre had approved granting the deemed-to-be-university status to NCERT in the 'De Novo' category. A De-Novo deemed universi
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to constitute a committee of domain experts within a week to finalise the curriculum related to legal studies in NCERT textbooks. The top court said that its orders in the matter were not intended to prevent any healthy and objective criticism of the institutional function of the judiciary. The apex court, while hearing a suo motu case concerning NCERT's Class 8 social science book, which contained "offending" contents on corruption in the judiciary, noted that the chapter was drafted by the textbook development team under the chairmanship of Professor Michel Danino. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed the Centre, states, Union Territories and universities to forthwith disassociate the three experts who drafted the controversial chapter. The textbook development team was under the chairmanship of Danino and consisted of Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar as its members. The bench, also comprising Justices Joyma
The Centre on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it has directed the NCERT to review the textbooks of all classes. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said that instead of asking the NCERT to do so, it would have appreciated if the Centre constituted an expert committee to review the curriculum. The apex court was hearing a suo motu case concerning NCERT's Class 8 social science book, which contained "offending" contents on corruption in the judiciary. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the government has asked the NCERT to review textbooks of all classes, not just Class eight. He assured the bench that a panel of domain experts would be constituted to examine the curriculum. "We have started systemic changes," he told the bench, adding that nothing will be published without being vetted by the domain experts. Mehta also informed the bench that the NCERT director has filed an affidavit tendering an unconditional and unquali
The NCERT on Friday issued an advisory asking anyone with copies of the banned class 8 textbook that had a chapter on "judicial corruption" be returned to the council headquarters. In a strongly worded advisory, the the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) also called for all social media posts that carry the chapter's content be deleted. The Union Ministry of Education on Thursday wrote to the ministries of information and broadcasting, and electronics, asking them to stop the dissemination of a controversial NCERT textbook through digital platforms and electronic media after the Supreme Court imposed a ban on the social science book. "Any individual or organisation in possession of the NCERT textbook 'Exploring society: India and Beyond', may return it to the (NCERT) headquarters. Any content related to the chapter 'role of judiciary in our society' if posted on social media or any digital platforms be deleted at the earliest possible," the advisory ...
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday expressed anguish over NCERT coming up with a chapter on judicial corruption in its Class 8 textbook, while promising to fix accountability and take action against those involved in drafting the controversial portion. He also underlined that the government has full respect for the judiciary and has no intent of disrespecting the institution. The remarks came on a day the Supreme Court observed that there appeared to be a "well-orchestrated conspiracy" to defame the judiciary and imposed a "complete blanket ban" on the Class 8 NCERT book and ordered that all copies, physical and digital, be seized. "They have fired the gunshot. The judiciary is bleeding," a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said, a day after the National Council of Educational Research and Training apologised for "inappropriate content" in the social science textbook and said it would be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities. The bench,