NCERT drops chapters on democracy, periodic table from class 10 textbooks

Students still have the opportunity to learn about these topics if they choose to pursue the relevant subjects in class 11 and 12.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) announced on June 1 that it has made revisions to the class 10 textbooks in order to alleviate the content burden on students during the Covid pandemic.

As part of these revisions, certain chapters have been omitted from the curriculum.

In the science textbook, the chapters on Periodic Classification of Elements, Sources of Energy, and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources have been removed. Similarly, in the Social Studies textbook, three chapters from Democratic Politics-1 have been dropped. These chapters include Popular Struggles and Movements, Political Parties, and Challenges to Democracy.

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It is important to note that students still have the opportunity to learn about these topics if they choose to pursue the relevant subjects in class 11 and 12.

Additionally, NCERT has recently faced criticism for its decision to eliminate the Theory of Biological Evolution from the class 10 curriculum. This decision has sparked widespread debate and concern among experts.

NCERT justified its decision by stating that it was necessary to alleviate the academic burden on students due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The organization cited reasons such as the difficulty level of the content, overlapping information, and the perceived lack of relevance in the current context as factors contributing to the removal of these chapters from the curriculum.

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In order to reduce content load, chapters on Fibre and Fabrics in classes VI, VII, and VIII have been axed. Furthermore, a chapter in the history textbook of class VI that referenced Mahatma Gandhi and the charkha has been removed.

Additionally, a chapter titled 'Why do we fall ill' in the class IX science textbook has been deleted. This chapter previously introduced students to viruses and air-borne diseases, including examples like Covid-19.