NCERT revises Class 6 science book, focuses on knowledge systems
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a revised edition of its Class 6 science textbook, “Curiosity”, featuring significant changes that emphasise Indian culture and knowledge systems.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a revised edition of its Class 6 science textbook, “Curiosity”, featuring significant changes that emphasise Indian culture and knowledge systems.
The updated textbook introduces characters from various Indian states, incorporates verses from ancient Indian texts, and removes several Western references, in what appears to be a move to align it with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani wrote in the preface, “The content stimulates curiosity, a sense of exploration, questioning, and critical thinking. The content seamlessly weaves together concepts from physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science, along with cross-cutting themes like environmental education, value education, inclusive education, and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS).”
Saklani added, “A non-evaluative interesting element that has been incorporated in some of the chapters is the introduction of certain verses from various Indian texts to promote rootedness in the learners as envisaged in NEP 2020.”
The revised edition features illustrations of characters from different regions of India at the beginning of chapters. For instance, Chapter 2, “Diversity in the Living World”, opens with young students from Haryana, while Chapter 11, “Nature’s Treasures”, presents Kannada characters Bhoomi, Surya, and Ajji (grandmother). Ladakh is represented by Yangdol and Dorjay in Chapter 12, “Beyond Earth.”
Several chapters now begin with verses from Indian texts. Chapter 2 starts with a Sanskrit verse that translates to: “Trees stand in the Sun and give shade to others. Their fruits are also for others. Likewise, good people bear all hardships and bring welfare to others.”
The chapter on dietary content, formerly titled “Components of Food”, is now called “Mindful Eating: A Path to Health Body”. It excludes references to non-vegetarian sources such as meat, eggs, and fish, and highlights vegetarian sources of fats, including ladoo.
The updated edition also removes images of liver and lobster as sources of protein and iodine, though fish and eggs remain depicted as protein sources. Additionally, egg white has been excluded from the list of substances used in school chemistry labs for starch, protein, and iodine tests.
Western images and references have been replaced with Indian ones in several chapters. For example, the chapter “Method of Separation of Everyday Substances” now features characters taking a “Bharat ki yatra” (Journey through India) to study various Indian methods of substance separation, replacing an image of “The Winnowers” by Gustav Courbet.
A new chapter, “Beyond Earth”, explores Indian astronomy and traditional nomenclature. It explains that the term “nakshatra” in Indian astronomy refers to either a specific star or a constellation of stars, and lists ancient Indian names for planets visible to the naked eye.
The newly added Chapter 12, titled “Beyond Earth,” delves into Indian astronomy and its traditional nomenclature. It explains that the term nakshatra in Indian astronomy refers to either a specific star or a constellation of stars. For instance, Ardr represents the Betelgeuse star in the Orion constellation, while Krittika denotes the Pleiades cluster in the Taurus constellation. The chapter also notes that Aldebaran, a prominent star in Taurus, is known as Rohini in Sanskrit.
The textbook also recognises notable Indian scientists, including Janaki Ammal, described as an “Indian botanist dedicated to environmental work and helped to document and preserve India’s rich plant biodiversity”.
