NCERT panel for replacing India with Bharat in school textbooks

New Delhi, Oct 25: A seven-member National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) panel has recommended to replace India with Bharat in school textbooks, committee chairman C I Issac said.

However, the NCERT said 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 matter," the NCERT said.

The panel has recommended that Bharat should replace India in NCERT books, which has been approved, Issac said.

It has also sought introduction of Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in curriculum for all subjects, and suggested that "classical history" should be introduced in history textbooks, instead of "ancient history".

Padma Shri awardee Issac said that word Bharat finds mention in Vishnu Puran and Sanskrit poet and playwright Kalidas had also used the word Bharat in his works.

He said that the current curriculum details about the country's defeats but not the victories.

Issac said, "why our books did not tell that Indian tribals defeated Afghan invader Muhammad Ghori when he was returning after plundering India."

"The Battle of Colachel (Kulachal) between the Travancore kingdom and the Dutch East India Company in August 1741 which ended Dutch colonial endeavours in the country is missing in the textbooks," he said.