NCERT on dropping periodic table: ‘Making content more age appropriate’

This comes after NCERT also removed Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution as part of dropping the theory of biological evolution from the science syllabus in Class X curriculum of the CBSE. 

NCERT‘s recent move is part of a “rationalisation” exercise based on expert recommendations. The new textbooks with these deletions and changes have now hit the market.

Several experts, scientists have written to NCERT to roll back these changes that can potentially affect the foundational education of students in India. 

NCERT issues official clarification

NCERT issued an official clarification as to why they have decided to remove certain parts from the class 10 syllabus. Earlier the education board had noted that their move was ‘reduce the load’ on students. 

In their latest clarification NCERT for its syllabus change has said that periodic table and evolution have not been removed from the school education curriculum but in fact are available in appropriate detail for students who opt for science in classes 11 and 12. 

“Students pursuing science in classes 11 and 12 will study the details of Periodic Classification of elements (Periodic table). The content placed in the periodic table again have been made more age appropriate, more so considering the Covid pandemic situation,” the official clarification from NCERT read. 

According to an NDTV report, NCERT said that the discussion about basic concepts such as elements, symbols, formation of compounds, atoms and molecules have been dealt with in class 9. In class 10, chemical reaction; acids, bases and salts; metals and non-metals; carbon and its compounds have been covered.

NCERT on other dleetions from syllabus

In a note on the changes in the textbooks, the NCERT last year said, “In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is imperative to reduce content load on students. The National Education Policy 2020, also emphasises reducing the content load and providing opportunities for experiential learning with creative mindset.”

“In this background, NCERT has undertaken the exercise to rationalise the textbooks across all classes. Learning Outcomes already developed by the NCERT across classes have been taken into consideration in this exercise,” it said.

The factors cited by the NCERT behind the deletions included content which is “overlapping”, “not relevant or outdated in the present context”, “difficult”, and “easily accessible to children and can be learned through self-learning or peer-learning”.

NCERT syllabus change: What else was dropped?

Among other deletions made last year in the Class 10 Science textbook were passages on “Evolution”.

Topics that have been struck off the Science textbooks include chapters on Fibre and Fabrics in Classes 6, 7 and 8.

One deletion that stands out is that of the “Why do we fall ill” chapter from the Class 9 Science textbook.

The portions referring to the Gujarat riots were also dropped from the Class 11 Sociology textbook, months after the NCERT removed the reference to the 2022 communal violence in two Class 12 textbooks.

Among the references dropped from the Class 12 History textbook were certain portions on Mahatma Gandhi and how his pursuit of Hindu-Muslim unity “provoked Hindu extremists”, and on a ban on the RSS.

Updated: 02 Jun 2023, 02:47 PM IST