In a recent statement, NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani defended the removal of references to the Gujarat riots and the Babri Masjid demolition from school textbooks. Saklani explained that the decision was made to foster “positive citizens” rather than “violent and depressed individuals.”
During an interaction with PTI editors at the agency’s headquarters, Saklani addressed the accusations of saffronisation of the school curriculum. He emphasized that the changes were part of an annual textbook revision and should not be a cause for concern.
“Why should we teach about riots in school textbooks? We want to create positive citizens, not violent and depressed individuals,” Saklani stated. He argued that teaching young students about such events might make them offensive, create societal hatred, or turn them into victims of hatred. Instead, he suggested that students could learn about these historical events when they are older and more capable of understanding the context and implications.
The revised Class 12 political science textbook reflects these changes. It no longer mentions the Babri Masjid explicitly, referring to it instead as a “three-domed structure.” The section on Ayodhya has been reduced from four pages to two, omitting several details present in the previous version.
Saklani concluded that the outcry over these changes is misplaced, asserting that the primary goal of education should be to promote a positive outlook among students.
