Darwin, periodic table not removed from NCERT syllabi, says Dharmendra Pradhan

PUNE:  In a bid to end the controversy surrounding the deletion of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution from NCERT textbooks, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said that “nothing of this sort has happened”.

“A discussion is going on these days that Darwin’s theory of evolution has been removed from science books by the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) and the periodic table has been left out, but I would like to state here publicly that nothing of this sort has happened,” said Pradhan, who is in Pune to attend the fourth Education Working Group (EdWG) meeting of G20.

After the controversy erupted, the minister said that he had sought details from the NCERT, an autonomous body that develops syllabi and prepares textbooks.  “According to them, experts had advised that during COVID-19, some repetitive parts could be reduced and later brought back. So, the contents in Classes 8 and 9 are unchanged. In the Class 10 book, some portions related to the evolution theory were omitted last year, but it remains unchanged in Classes 11 and 12,” the minister said.

However, Pradhan said, there is validity to the view that students who would not study science after Class 10 would miss out on some specific subjects related to Darwin’s theory. “The periodic table is taught in Class 9 and is also being taught in Classes 11 and 12. As per the NCERT, one or two examples (related to the theory of evolution) were omitted. But I would like to assure you that the National Education Policy is being implemented, and as per that policy, new textbooks are being prepared,” he said.

A furore had erupted after it appeared that NCERT had removed Darwin’s theory and periodic table from the Class 10 textbook. Several scientists and educators had written an open letter, raising concerns on the deletion of the topics.