Changes In Class 12 NCERT Political Science Textbooks: "Azad Kashmir" Removed, "Chinese Aggression" Added

Chinese Aggression

In the Class 12 Political Science textbook, the discussion about India's border situation with China has been updated. In Chapter 2 of "Contemporary World Politics," under the section titled India-China relations, a sentence was changed. Previously, on page 25, it stated, "However, military conflict over a border dispute between the two countries marred that hope." This has been revised to, "However, Chinese aggression on the Indian border has marred that hope."

Azad Pakistan Changed to POJK

In the textbook "Politics In India since Independence - Class 12," the term “Azad Pakistan” has been replaced with “Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir.” The original text on page 119 read, "India claims that this area is under illegal occupation. Pakistan describes this area as ‘Azad Pakistan’." The updated version now says, "However, it is the Indian territory which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan called Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK)."

The NCERT has stated that these changes align with the latest position of the Government of India regarding Jammu and Kashmir.

Abrogation of Article 370

The abrogation of Article 370 is also included in the updated textbooks. The previous version mentioned, "While most of the states have equal powers, there are special provisions for some states like J&K and the states in the North-East." This has been updated to include, "However, Article 370, which contains special provisions for J&K, was abrogated in August 2019."

These updates are part of broader revisions to the curriculum. Previous changes included altering references to the Gujarat riots, the emergency during Indira Gandhi's tenure, and the details surrounding Gandhi’s assassination.

Broader Curriculum Changes

More extensive revisions include referring to the Babri Masjid as a “3-dome structure” and describing the Ayodhya dispute as an amicably resolved issue. These changes appear in the newly published Class 12 Political Science textbook, marked for March 2024.

NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani defended these changes, arguing that teaching about riots could foster violence and depression among students. He emphasized that education should not incite hatred or create victims of hatred.

NCERT develops the curriculum for CBSE textbooks, used by CBSE-affiliated schools across India and internationally. These textbooks also serve as study material for national-level competitive exams like CUET, NEET, JEE, and UPSC.