NCERT Issues Apology and Withdraws Controversial Class 8 Judiciary Chapter

NCERT's Apology for Class 8 Textbook

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has publicly apologized for the Judiciary chapter included in its Class 8 social science textbook. This announcement was made via a statement on the social media platform X. The statement highlighted that the book titled 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond' for Grade 8 (Part II) featured Chapter IV, 'The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society.' NCERT's Director and members expressed their unconditional regret for the chapter, and the entire book has been retracted from circulation.

The statement continued, "We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank all stakeholders for their understanding. NCERT is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of accuracy, sensitivity, and responsibility in educational materials."

Previous Advisory and Supreme Court Directive

In a prior advisory, NCERT had instructed individuals in possession of the now-banned Class 8 textbook, which included a chapter on 'Judicial Corruption,' to return it to the NCERT headquarters. This advisory followed a directive from the Supreme Court. Additionally, NCERT requested the removal of any social media posts that contained content from the controversial chapter.

On Thursday, the Union Education Ministry reached out to the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Electronics, urging them to halt the distribution of the disputed NCERT textbook through digital and electronic media, as mandated by the Supreme Court.

The advisory stated, "Anyone or any organization holding the NCERT textbook 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond' should return it to NCERT headquarters. Furthermore, any online content related to the chapter 'Role of Judiciary in Our Society' must be deleted promptly."