On July 14, 1999 Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi appointed J.S. Rajput as director of the NCERT, apex body responsible for preparing school textbooks and framing syllabi. Since then, its sylvan campus has been reeling under attempts to *indigenise" education and promote Hindutva - often at the expense of knowledge.

NCERT received its first shock in July 1999 when Rajput decided not to replace the Class X course B Hindi textbook, Sanchayika Bhag II. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had prescribed it in 1993 to bring out the "proud tradition of the country, and the values of life inherent in it, in the areas of literature, society, art, science, etc." But later, NCERT's books evaluation committee found that Sanchayika contained several historical inaccuracies and peddled distorted notions about Indian culture. It was labelled "unusable", and a replacement was sought.

... The manuscript, meanwhile, was sent to the new director for a foreword ... But Rajput ... argued, "Since an overall change of NCERT textbooks will be undertaken shortly. why change only one textbook?" The prospect of an "overall change" was ominous enough. The immediate result was that CBSE reverted to the book the evaluation committee had rejected ... The 'discussion paper' (Rajput) has prepared for laying down guidelines to frame syllabi, (says). " ... The curricula must inculcate and maintain a sense of pride in being an Indian, through understanding of the growth of Indian civilisation and contributions of India to world civilisations in thoughts, actions and deeds. The remnants of the alien legacy of the pre-Independence period have to be shed completely. It has to be a totally indigenous curriculum."

"Textbooks should reflect the changes in the socio-political and cultural scene of the country in the past one decade."  Academicians are suspicious of Rajput's quest to indigenise education. RS Sharma, the doyen of ancient Indian history, says, "Of course, India's contribution must be presented. But this should not be used to assert that Vedic mathematics was more advanced than modern mathematics, or that Hindus are Aryans who originated in India and, therefore, Muslims and others who came later are non-Indians."

Syllabi apart, many are perturbed at the concerted attempt to pack NCERT with Hindutva votaries (including) that of Krishna Gopal Rastogi, a known RSS functionary ... , a hardcore RSS footsoldier who shot dead a Muslim woman during Partition ..

Similar is the story of R.H. Dave, who has been entrusted with preparing a module for minimum levels of learning ... He head(ed) the Hamburg unit of the VHP. But consensus' is Rajput's favourite word. It was in this spirit that he visited liberal academicians like Bipan Chandra, Ravindra Kumar, Satish Chandra and Namvar Singh .. Chandra (says): "I frankly told him there is nothing called consensus in social science, especially history. Instead of trying to arrive at a unanimous opinion, all scholarly opinions should be accommodated. How can there be a consensus on a contentious issue like communalism? Can Gandhi and Golwalkar sit together and arrive at a mutually acceptable conclusion?"

NCERT sources dismiss Rajput's attempts at "consensus" as a cover while he pushes the Hindutva agenda and eliminates dissent. ..

But why target NCERT? A senior CBSE official explains, "After the fiasco at last year's education ministers' conference, the BJP has realised textbooks cannot be changed openly. NCERT is ideal for doing it surreptitiously. It has a countrywide presence. At one stroke, they can capture the entire landscape."

Teesta Setalvad, editor, Communalism Combat, says institutions like NCERT are vulnerable because education hasn't been a priority for other political parties ... "Which party other than the BJP has made education and its content a consistent issue for mobilisation and campaigning?" she asks.

Now, as the BJP promotes Hindutva through education, the country faces the prospect of having the nation's children completely dyed in saffron. (Source: The Hindustan Times, 19 December, 1999)

 Moral Instruction: Another Tool for Saffronisation

I was happy to see reports that the HRD Ministry is planning to introduce moral education in schools. In the name of secularism, we have been preventing our school-going children from getting moral education and have allowed agnosticism to grow.

No religion advocates anti-social activity. If carefully selected and introduced in the form of textbooks, the essence of great religious' like Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc. could be used to impart basic moral education to our children in their formative years.

Care should be taken to ensure that the various religions are not compared and the need for respecting all the religions should be emphasised in these textbooks.

- Letter of B. Krishnamoorthy in The Indian Express, 6 November, 1999

On Joshi's Role

It is widely held that M.M. Joshi has been allotted the Human Resource Development portfolio because of the importance the RSS attaches to influencing the minds of the young through education.

In his first term Joshi stirred a hornet's nest when he sought to inaugurate a Conference of State Education Ministers with ... Saraswati Vandana. The leftwing lobby in leading academic and research institutions bristled at his 'interference'. But Joshi has by no means been cowed down. Starting his new term in the old ministry, he has again been quick off the mark, making a spate of controversial appointments ..

S. Murthy and D. Mukerji in The Week, 14 November, 1999)