WhatsApp Channel Join Now
Telegram Group Join Now
Relevance: GS-I (History) | GS-II (Governance) | Source: The Indian Express
How NEP 2020 is Changing Indian Textbooks
The Context: Maharashtra has recently updated its Class 6 textbooks to strictly align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The biggest takeaway is a massive shift toward the Indian Knowledge System (IKS)—placing ancient Indian scientists, scriptures, and scholars right alongside, or even ahead of, standard Western concepts.
1. Science, But Make It Ancient
The new curriculum aims to remind students that many “modern” scientific concepts were actually explored by ancient Indian minds centuries ago.
- Gravity before Newton: Instead of just learning about Isaac Newton, students now read about Bhaskaracharya II, an ancient Indian astronomer who wrote about the Earth’s pulling force in his book Siddhant Shiromani nearly 900 years before Newton.
- The Sun at the Centre: The books highlight Aryabhata as the first scholar to accurately explain that the Earth revolves around the Sun (Heliocentrism).
- Modern Heroes: It’s not just ancient history. The text also celebrates contemporary pioneers like Anna Mani, who is famously known as the “Weather Woman of India.”
2. Rewriting History and Geography
- The Ujjain Meridian: Move over, Greenwich. The geography text introduces Ujjain as ancient India’s prime meridian (the central base longitude used for measuring time).
- The Harappan Mystery: The old, controversial theory that the Harappan civilization collapsed because of “foreign invasions” has been completely deleted. The decline is now scientifically blamed on climate shifts, drying rivers, and falling trade.
- Society and Women: Paragraphs that heavily critiqued the rigid caste system and priestly monopolies have been removed. Instead, the focus shifts to highlighting the intellectual freedom of early Vedic women (like Gargi and Maitreyi) before society became strictly patriarchal.
Practice MCQ
Q. Consider the following statements regarding the integration of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) under NEP 2020 in recent textbook revisions:
- The revised curriculum continues to attribute the decline of the Harappan civilization primarily to invasions by foreign tribes.
- The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 explicitly mandates the integration and awareness of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in school curricula.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b) 2 only
Hint: Statement 1 is incorrect because recent revisions have deleted the controversial “foreign invasion” theory, replacing it with ecological and economic factors (like drying rivers and natural calamities) to explain the Harappan decline. Statement 2 is correct, as IKS integration is a core pillar of NEP 2020.
Hint: Statement 1 is incorrect because recent revisions have deleted the controversial “foreign invasion” theory, replacing it with ecological and economic factors (like drying rivers and natural calamities) to explain the Harappan decline. Statement 2 is correct, as IKS integration is a core pillar of NEP 2020.
Start Yours at Ajmal IAS – with Mentorship StrategyDisciplineClarityResults that Drives Success
Your dream deserves this moment — begin it here.