Row over chapter on ‘corruption in judiciary’: NCERT affidavit on ‘high-powered’ panel lists late Bibek Debroy among 19 members
The fact that Debroy’s name still figures in the list indicates that the committee has not been reconstituted at least since his death in Nov 2024.
The affidavit filed by the National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT) in the Supreme Court last week in the wake of the controversy over the inclusion of a chapter on “corruption in the judiciary” in the Class 8 social science textbook shows that the “high-powered” National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), entrusted with the critical responsibility of preparing textbooks for students of Classes 1 to 12, has a deceased member on board.
One of its 19 members, as per the March 10 affidavit filed by NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani, is former chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC) Bibek Debroy, who died in November 2024. The fact that his name still figures in the list of NSTC members indicates that the committee has not been reconstituted at least since his death more than a year ago.
A source in the Education Ministry confirmed that the NSTC was not reconstituted after Debroy’s death, and that it continued to function with the remaining members.
The NSTC, comprising Debroy and 18 others, was notified on July 21, 2023 with M C Pant, the then Chancellor of National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), as its chairperson. The notification defines its role as: “To develop the school syllabus, textbooks and teaching learning materials for Classes 3-12 (and to appropriately revise the existing textbooks of Class 1 and 2 and to ensure smooth transition from Class 2 to 3.”
The now withdrawn Class 8 textbook also names Bibek Debroy as one of the 19 members of the NSTC. He is mentioned at serial no. 4 as “Late Bibek Debroy, Former Chairperson, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM)”.
The Indian Express reached out to the NCERT Director, but his response was still awaited at the time of filing of this report.
The NCERT had filed the affidavit in response to the notice issued by the Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognizance of a February 24 report by The Indian Express on the new Class 8 textbook listing “corruption in judiciary”, “massive backlog” as challenges.
The affidavit said “that the…chapter was to be looked into by the members of the NSTC” but this was not done and the Textbook Development Team (TDT), comprising academics Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar, only digitally circulated it to some of the committee members.
Hearing the matter on March 11, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, presiding over a three-judge bench, cited the alleged failure of the TDT to place the contents before the NSTC, to question the NCERT’s seriousness in carrying out the critical task of preparing curriculum. “This affidavit is an eye-opener that the curriculum is issued without getting it approved at any level. If you believe your affidavit, then after this Professor Michel Danino and the other two members (constituting the TDT), it should have gone to the NSTC…”, the CJI remarked.
The NCERT had also admitted in the affidavit that not getting the chapter reviewed by NSTC was a “major and unpardonable lapse” and sought to assure that the same will not be repeated hereafter.
Taking note of the admission, the SC directed “the Government of India, the State Governments, the Union Territories, as well as all public universities and institutions receiving funds from the Central or State Governments, to disassociate from” the “three members of the TDT forthwith”.
Since Danino will also not be a part of the NSTC anymore, a call will be taken on the changes to be made in the committee, the source said. In its order last week, the Supreme Court noted: “Without making any comments targeting specific members, it seems to us that the Government of India should revisit the composition of the NSTC and take an appropriate decision regarding the individuals to whom the offending chapter was shared digitally, prior to publication/circulation…We, however, leave the reconstitution of the NSTC entirely to the discretion of the Competent Authority.”
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The affidavit filed by the National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT) in the Supreme Court last week in the wake of the controversy over the inclusion of a chapter on “corruption in the judiciary” in the Class 8 social science textbook shows that the “high-powered” National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), entrusted with the critical responsibility of preparing textbooks for students of Classes 1 to 12, has a deceased member on board.
One of its 19 members, as per the March 10 affidavit filed by NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani, is former chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC) Bibek Debroy, who died in November 2024. The fact that his name still figures in the list of NSTC members indicates that the committee has not been reconstituted at least since his death more than a year ago.
A source in the Education Ministry confirmed that the NSTC was not reconstituted after Debroy’s death, and that it continued to function with the remaining members.
The NSTC, comprising Debroy and 18 others, was notified on July 21, 2023 with M C Pant, the then Chancellor of National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), as its chairperson. The notification defines its role as: “To develop the school syllabus, textbooks and teaching learning materials for Classes 3-12 (and to appropriately revise the existing textbooks of Class 1 and 2 and to ensure smooth transition from Class 2 to 3.”
The now withdrawn Class 8 textbook also names Bibek Debroy as one of the 19 members of the NSTC. He is mentioned at serial no. 4 as “Late Bibek Debroy, Former Chairperson, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM)”.
The Indian Express reached out to the NCERT Director, but his response was still awaited at the time of filing of this report.
The NCERT had filed the affidavit in response to the notice issued by the Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognizance of a February 24 report by The Indian Express on the new Class 8 textbook listing “corruption in judiciary”, “massive backlog” as challenges.
The affidavit said “that the…chapter was to be looked into by the members of the NSTC” but this was not done and the Textbook Development Team (TDT), comprising academics Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar, only digitally circulated it to some of the committee members.
Hearing the matter on March 11, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, presiding over a three-judge bench, cited the alleged failure of the TDT to place the contents before the NSTC, to question the NCERT’s seriousness in carrying out the critical task of preparing curriculum. “This affidavit is an eye-opener that the curriculum is issued without getting it approved at any level. If you believe your affidavit, then after this Professor Michel Danino and the other two members (constituting the TDT), it should have gone to the NSTC…”, the CJI remarked.
The NCERT had also admitted in the affidavit that not getting the chapter reviewed by NSTC was a “major and unpardonable lapse” and sought to assure that the same will not be repeated hereafter.
Taking note of the admission, the SC directed “the Government of India, the State Governments, the Union Territories, as well as all public universities and institutions receiving funds from the Central or State Governments, to disassociate from” the “three members of the TDT forthwith”.
Since Danino will also not be a part of the NSTC anymore, a call will be taken on the changes to be made in the committee, the source said. In its order last week, the Supreme Court noted: “Without making any comments targeting specific members, it seems to us that the Government of India should revisit the composition of the NSTC and take an appropriate decision regarding the individuals to whom the offending chapter was shared digitally, prior to publication/circulation…We, however, leave the reconstitution of the NSTC entirely to the discretion of the Competent Authority.”
