Parliamentary Panel Urges NCERT To Include Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, And Histories Of Unsung Freedom Fighters In Textbooks

New Delhi, 20th December 2022: A parliamentary panel has advised the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) to combine with equal emphasis the achievements of numerous “unsung liberation heroes” from all regions of the country, including the northeast.

The panel urged the Union Ministry’s department of school education to work with the NCERT and make sure of the same. On Monday(December 19), the proposals were presented to the Rajya Sabha.

It was also highlighted that well-known female figures from many professions should be included with their contributions in the “regular books” of NCERT so that it becomes “mandatory reading material.”

Last year, a report was presented in the parliament titled, “Reforms in Content and Design of School Textbooks”. The “action taken” report on the recommendations made in the report was delivered by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports, chaired by BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Thakur.

The group also noted the importance of including the Bhagavad Gita’s lessons and knowledge of the “Vedas” in the school curriculum. The committee believed that the department could make sufficient efforts to highlight and present the diversity of religious teachings.

The action taken report stated, “The committee feels that the action taken or proposed to be taken regarding the adequate representation of Sikh and Maratha history needs greater study and enhanced portrayal of contribution.”