The decision follows previous instances where Kerala has diverged from NCERT guidelines, including reintroducing chapters on Gujarat riots and Mughal history.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The Kerala government would include the Babri Masjid demolition incident in the state’s higher secondary school textbooks.
The move comes in response to the recent National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) decision to remove the chapter describing the demolition of the masjid in Ayodhya by Hindu chauvinists from its Class XII curriculum.
Kerala’s State Education Minister, V. Sivankutty, emphasised the importance of teaching this chapter. “The Kerala government will ensure our children learn about the Babri Masjid, despite its removal from the NCERT syllabus,” he said in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
The curriculum committee in Kerala is currently considering the best possible way to integrate this topic, with options including adding it to an existing chapter or creating a new supplementary book. “The committee will give the final form only after evaluating all related options,” Sivankutty said. He added that the revised textbooks are expected to be ready for the next academic year.
The decision follows previous instances where Kerala has diverged from NCERT guidelines, including reintroducing chapters on Gujarat riots and Mughal history. These topics were also omitted by NCERT but were reinstated by Kerala through supplementary materials.
In light of the upcoming curriculum revision, which is the first in 15 years for higher secondary education in Kerala, the state’s education department plans to hold workshops to discuss and finalise the new content.
NCERT’s recent changes to the Class 12 political science textbooks have sparked controversy. The term ‘Babri Masjid’ has been replaced with ‘three-domed structure’, a modification that many critics argue diminishes the historical significance of the event. Minister Sivankutty said the education system “should reflect comprehensive and accurate historical narratives, not diluted versions.”
Kerala’s higher secondary education relies on NCERT textbooks for science and social science subjects, while the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) provides other textbooks. This dual system ensures that while Kerala adheres to national standards, it retains the flexibility to address regional educational priorities.
As Kerala prepares to implement these changes, educators and students alike are poised for a curriculum that promises to be both inclusive and historically thorough.
