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NCERT sounds like the CBFC in its clarification on Class 10 periodic table, ngl

Sweta GuptaJune 2, 2023 | 14:41 IST

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) released a statement on Twitter concerning the ongoing debate surrounding alterations made to the science curriculum for Class 10, particularly regarding the modifications of the periodic table.

  • NCERT's clarification on making the periodic table 'more age appropriate' kinda makes the council sound like the other government body in charge of certifying movies... the Central Board of Film Certification. 'Age appropriate' is after all something we have heard in context of cinema; rarely in high-school academics.

What 

NCERT on June 1 said that chapters on Periodic Classification of Elements, challenges to democracy, political parties and some other topics will be removed from the syllabus for Class 10 to "reduce the content load" considering the pressure in Covid pandemic. They called this removal of chapters a "rationalisation" exercise. 

  • Three topics have been axed from the Science book: Periodic Classification of Elements, Sources of Energy, and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources. 
  • Similarly, from the Social Studies textbook, three chapters from Democratic Politics including Popular Struggles and movements, Political Parties, and Challenges to Democracy have been eliminated. 

However, students still have the option to study these subjects in Class 11 and 12 if they opt for it. 

The controversy

This decision of the NCERT was widely criticised by scholars, teachers and other experts across the nation. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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A similar backlash was observed regarding the removal of The Theory of Biological Evolution from Class 10.

NCERT clears the air

Through a series of tweets, NCERT provided clarification on their decision to, what they call, 'rationalise' the content of textbooks.

NCERT said that due to students and teachers being confined to their homes during pandemic, alternative methods of studying were adopted, "A considered opinion emerged based on the feedback received from various stakeholders, including practicing teachers, that children may not have to study same concepts at different stages and it needs to be done at appropriate stage."

The rationale behind the 'rationalisation':

  1. Overlapping with similar content included in the other subject area in the same class.
  2. Similar content included in the lower or higher class in the same subject.
  3. High difficulty level
  4. Content, which is easily accessible to children and does not require much intervention from the teachers and can be learnt through self-learning or peer-learning. 
  5. Content, which is not relevant in the present context or is outdated.
  6. Learning outcomes already developed across the classes are taken care of in this rationalization exercise.

Based on these facts, NCERT says it decided to cover the concepts of the periodic table and evolution in appropriate depth in Classes 11 and 12. 

"The content placed in the periodic table again have been made more age appropriate, more so considering the Covid pandemic situation... Discussion about basic concepts such as elements, symbols, formation of compounds, atoms and molecules have been dealt with in Class 9," tweeted NCERT.

ALSO SEE: How NCERT Class 10 book will teach evolution and periodic table now on

Last updated: June 02, 2023 | 16:38
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