Contents
What is the News?
Indian History Congress(IHC) has objected to rewriting the history textbooks in the National Council of Educational Research and Training(NCERT) school textbooks.
What is the issue?
- The Rajya Sabha secretariat had released a circular saying that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on education would discuss changes in the NCERT’s textbooks and curriculum and consider reforms with a focus on:
- removing references to “un-historical facts and distortions about national heroes;
- ensuring equal or proportionate references to all periods of Indian history and
- highlight the role of great historic women heroes.
What has the IHC said?
- Indian History Congress(IHC) has said that the reasons cited for the proposed change in NCERTs are unfounded.
- The claim that there are ‘unhistorical facts and distortions’ with regard to national heroes is completely false.
- Further, the claim regarding the lack of equal space accorded to various periods of Indian history is not true.
- Hence, these changes are not being done for ‘academic’ reasons. But instead, the changes are being made for ‘political reasons.
Indian History Congress(IHC):
- IHC was founded in 1935. It is the largest association of professional historians in South Asia.
- Origin: The lead to establish IHC was taken by Poona historians during the period of British colonial rule. The first session took place in Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Poona in 1935.
- Mandate: Its main objective is to promote secular and scientific writing of history. It also has been holding its sessions very regularly.
