The NCERT panel recommends replacing the term “India” with “Bharat” and using “Classical History” in place of “Ancient History.

A panel led by C I Isaac has proposed a series of changes to overhaul the school curriculum. This panel was formed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Nonetheless, NCERT officials have clarified that no final decisions have been made regarding the recommendations.

Below are the significant recommendations made by the panel:

NCERT panel recommends the introduction of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the curriculum for all subjects.

NCERT panel recommends introducing ‘classical history’ instead of ‘ancient history’ in textbooks.

NCERT panel recommends replacing ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in school textbooks.

“Our failures are presently mentioned in the textbooks. But our victories over the Mughals and sultans are not,” said Isaac, who is also a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).

Other members of the committee include ICHR Chairperson Raghuvendra Tanwar, Vandana Mishra, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Vasant Shinde, former vice-chancellor of the Deccan College Deemed University, and Mamta Yadav, who teaches sociology in a Haryana government school.

The NCERT is in the process of updating school textbook curricula to align with the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020. To achieve this, the council has established a 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) tasked with the responsibility of refining the curriculum, textbooks, and educational materials for these classes.