India's National Council of Educational Research and Training has reconstituted a 20-member [1] panel to prepare political science textbooks for Classes XI and XII.
The move is significant because the inclusion of members with ties to right-wing organizations has raised concerns regarding potential ideological bias in the national curriculum.
The panel consists of faculty from several prominent institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, and National Law University Delhi [1]. Among these 20 [1] members, at least four [2] have past or present links to organizations aligned with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
NCERT is developing two textbooks for senior secondary students. The council said it aims to have one of these two books ready by November [3].
The reconstitution of the team is intended to update the political science materials used by students across the country. However, the composition of the group has drawn criticism from those who worry that the textbooks may reflect a specific political leaning rather than a neutral academic perspective [4, 5].
NCERT headquarters in New Delhi remains the center for these curriculum revisions. The council has not provided further details on the specific changes expected in the new editions of the textbooks.
“At least four members of the 20-person panel have links to RSS-aligned organisations.”
The restructuring of the NCERT panel reflects an ongoing tension in India between academic neutrality and the influence of political ideology in public education. By integrating members with RSS links into the drafting process for political science—a subject inherently tied to governance and civic identity—the government risks intensifying debates over the 'saffronization' of education, where critics argue that textbooks are being rewritten to align with a nationalist agenda.
