Reports of dropping Preamble, secularism from Class 9 textbook misleading; constitutional values spread across Grades 6-10: Sources
By Vishu Adhana, New Delhi, June 27
Amid a row over the omission of a standalone chapter on the Preamble and explicit references to "secular" and "socialist" in the new Class 9 Social Science textbook, sources in NCERT said reports suggesting these have been dropped are "misleading", arguing the concepts have been redistributed across grades under the revised curriculum.
Some reports highlighted that while the new Class 9 Social Science textbook introduces a section on the Emergency, it no longer contains a separate chapter on the Preamble and does not explicitly explain terms such as "secular" and "socialist", which were part of the previous edition.
(Picture from 7th Social Science) Sources in NCERT told ANI that reports claiming that the Preamble has been removed from the new Class 9 Social Science textbook are misleading. The curriculum has been redesigned under the new National Curriculum Framework, so topics have been redistributed across different Grades instead of being covered in a single textbook.
(Preamble in Grade 9 Ganga book) According to NCERT sources, the Preamble continues to appear in the opening pages of all new NCERT textbooks in all grades, including all Social Science textbooks.
Due to the redistribution of themes across grades, a detailed theme on the Preamble to the Constitution is now part of the grade 10 syllabus.
(Hindi Grade 9) NCERT sources also say that constitutional values, including secularism, justice, liberty and socialism, are already introduced in Grades 6 to 8, especially in the Grade 7 Social Science textbook and will be dealt with in more detail in Grade 10.
NCERT sources say that these new textbooks follow an integrated approach in dealing with different disciplines of social sciences, and as such, comparing them item-by-item with previous textbooks is unjustified, as the approach as well as content in the two will vary considerably.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I think we need to trust the NCERT experts here. They say the values are being introduced across grades 6-10 in an integrated way. Maybe it's more effective than a standalone chapter? Let's see how Grade 10 handles it.
This is just smoke and mirrors. The aim is clear - reduce emphasis on secularism and socialism. Why else would you remove the separate chapter? Spreading across grades is an excuse! 🚩
As a parent, I'm concerned. My daughter is in Class 9 and these constitutional values are crucial. But if NCERT says they're integrated across grades, let's give it a chance. Maybe the new approach will make learning more holistic. 🤔
Yaar, why does everything have to be political? The Preamble is still there in all NCERT textbooks. Students will learn about secularism and socialism in Grade 10. I'm more interested in why they added a section on the Emergency - that's actually useful! 🤷♂️
I support the integrated approach. Learning constitutional values from Grade 6 onwards in a gradual manner makes more sense than cramming it all in Class 9. Plus, the Preamble is literally on the first page of every textbook. What's the fuss about? 😊
S We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.