Bharat to replace India in school textbooks? NCERT says 'premature to comment'

The committee has also recommended highlighting "Hindu victories" in various battles in the textbooks.

In response to the media reports that a panel constituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has recommended "India" should be replaced with "Bharat" in the school textbooks for all classes, NCERT has said it is “too premature to comment” on the development.

“NCERT states that since the development of new syllabus and textbooks is in the process and for that purpose, various Curricular Area Groups of domain experts are being notified by the NCERT. So, it is too premature to comment on the news being flashed in the media on the concerned issue,” it said on X (formerly Twitter).

According to the media reports, the panel has suggested replacing the name "India" with "Bharat" in the textbooks, introducing "classical history" instead of "ancient history" in the curriculum and including the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the syllabus for all subjects.

"The committee has unanimously recommended that the name 'Bharat' should be used in textbooks for students across classes. We have also recommended introducing 'classical history' instead of 'ancient history' in the textbooks," the committee's chairperson CI Isaac told PTI.

He said the committee has also recommended highlighting "Hindu victories" in various battles in the textbooks.