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Tag: consulted

  • NCERT consulted 25 external experts for syllabus rationalisation: Edu Ministry

    NCERT consulted 25 external experts for syllabus rationalisation: Edu Ministry

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    New Delhi: The NCERT consulted 25 external experts and 16 CBSE teachers to carry out its syllabus rationalisation exercise as part of which portions on the Mughals, Mahatma Gandhi, his assassin Nathuram Godse, reference to Hindu extremists and the 2002 Gujarat riots among others were dropped from school textbooks, according to the Education Ministry.

    Dropping several topics and portions from the NCERT textbooks has triggered a controversy with the Opposition blaming the Centre of “whitewashing with vengeance”.

    At the heart of the row is the fact that while the changes made as part of the rationalisation exercise were notified, some of these controversial deletions weren’t mentioned in them. This has led to allegations about a bid to delete these portions surreptitiously.

    MS Education Academy

    The NCERT has described the omissions as a possible oversight but refused to undo the deletions, saying they were based on the recommendations of experts. It has also said the textbooks are anyway headed for revision in 2024 when the National Curriculum Framework kicks in.

    “Aside from NCERT in-house experts, NCERT sought the expertise of subject experts from Universities/Organisations and practising teachers in all its activities related to Research, Development, Training and Extension for wider consultation,” the ministry had said in response to a written question in Lok Sabha.

    Among the most contested deletions are from history and political science textbooks for which the NCERT consulted five and two external experts respectively.

    “One round of consultation each was held with the experts, ” the Ministry had said in its response.

    For History, the five experts who were consulted are Umesh Kadam, a professor of History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and a member secretary at the Indian Council for Historical Research, Hind College associate professor (History) Dr Archana Verma, Delhi Public School (RK Puram) teachers (Head of Department of History) Shruti Mishra, and two Delhi-based Kendriya Vidyalaya teachers Krishna Ranjan and Sunil Kumar.

    For the political science textbook, the NCERT held two rounds of consultation with four experts. They were Vanthangpui Khobung, an assistant professor of political science at the NCERT’s Regional Institute of Education in Bhopal; Maneesha Pandey who teaches the subject at Hindu College and school teachers Kavita Jain and Sunita Kathuria.

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    #NCERT #consulted #external #experts #syllabus #rationalisation #Ministry

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Wasn’t consulted on appointing V-P’s personal staff to house committees: Jairam Ramesh

    Wasn’t consulted on appointing V-P’s personal staff to house committees: Jairam Ramesh

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    New Delhi: After Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, attached eight officers from his office to various standing committees and other parliamentary committees under the jurisdiction of the Upper House, senior Congrese leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday categorically denied that he was consulted on the matter.

    Ramesh is the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment, Forests & Climate Change.

    “The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha has said that the decision to have his personal staff attached to various parliamentary committees was taken after consultations with the respective chairpersons. I chair a standing committee and I can categorically say that I wasn’t consulted at all,” Ramesh said.

    Speaking at an event earlier on Thursday, Dhankar had said that the appointments were made after taking feedback from the committee members and chairpersons, adding that to optimise the functioning of the committees, he has appointed the best IAS and IFS officers.

    The Congress has termed the appointment of Dhankhar’s personal staff to the Rajya Sabha committees as “unprecedented”, saying that it shows the lack of confidence in the existing staff.

    Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh said, “Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar appoints his staff on standing committees… Yes, this is unprecedented. But the explanation given is also quite inappropriate. Doesn’t it reflect Rajya Sabha Chairman’s lack of confidence in the existing staff of the RS secretariat?”

    “VP is Chairperson of Council of States Ex-officio. He is not a Member of House like Vice Chairperson or Panel of Vice Chairpersons. How can he appoint personal staff on Parliamentary Standing Committees? Would this not tantamount to institutional subversion,” Congress’ Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari tweeted.

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    #Wasnt #consulted #appointing #VPs #personal #staff #house #committees #Jairam #Ramesh

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )