Uninformed commentary on exclusion of topics from CBSE syllabus: HRD minister

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Thursday rejected criticism over alleged conspiracy in CBSE's decision to reduce the syllabus of schools due to COVID-19 outbreak and urged the critics to "leave politics out of education".

New Delhi: Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Thursday said there has been an "uninformed commentary" on the exclusion of certain topics from the CBSE syllabus to portray a false narrative.

The comments by the minister came following a controversy over the reduction of the syllabus by the CBSE due to the COVID-19 situation, with the Opposition alleging that chapters on India's democracy and plurality are being "dropped" to propagate a particular ideology.

"There has been a lot of uninformed commentary on the exclusion of some topics from CBSE syllabus. The problem with these comments is that they resort to sensationalism by connecting topics selectively to portray a false narrative.

"While it is easy to misconstrue exclusion of 3-4 topics like nationalism, local government, federalism, etc and build a concocted narrative, a wider perusal of different subjects will show that this exclusion is happening across subjects," Nishank said in a series of tweets.

The minister reiterated that the exclusions from the syllabus are a one-time measure taken in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As CBSE has clarified, schools have been advised to follow the NCERT Alternate Academic Calendar, and all the topics mentioned have been covered under the same. The exclusions are merely a one-time measure for exams, due to the COVID19 pandemic.

"The only aim is to relax the stress on students by reducing the syllabus by 30 per cent. This exercise has been carried out following the advice & recommendations of various experts and considering the suggestions received from educationists through our #SyllabusForStudents2020 campaign," he said.

The minister also appealed that "politics be left out of education".

"It is our humble request. Education is our sacred duty towards our children. Let us leave politics out of education and make our politics more educated," Nishank said.

PTI report.