NCERT Revamps Classes 11, 12 Political Science Textbook Team; 4 Members Linked To RSS

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has restructured the Textbook Development Team responsible for the Class 11 and 12 political science textbooks. Four members of the team are linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), its affiliate Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The team, led by Sandeep Shastri, Vice President of Nitte University, is tasked with completing the Class 11 textbook by November and the Class 12 book by July of the following year. The revised textbooks will incorporate themes such as cultural rootedness, Indian knowledge systems, inclusivity, educational technology, and assessment.

Among the four members linked to the RSS and its associates, Yadunath Deshpande, now a senior consultant with the Ministry of Education, has previously held positions in the ABVP and the BJP. Prashant Divekar has a long association with RSS-affiliated Jnana Prabodhini. Vandana Mishra, a professor at JNU’s Centre for Political Studies, was a former national secretary of the ABVP.

Ravi Rameshchandra Shukla, an Associate Professor at JNU’s Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, has researched cultural and spiritual nationalism. Other members include academics from various institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, National Law University, Chanakya University, Delhi University, IGNOU, National University of Study and Research in Law, Jindal Global Law School, Pondicherry University, and Utkal University. The team is also coordinated by NCERT's Vanthangpui Khobung and Subhash Singh.