1. India's Government Strikes Mention of Beef
Eaters From New History Books on Ancient India
epaper.timesofindia.com
NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 12, 2006: (HPI note: The irony of this
NCERT action is that the previous BJP government met with vigorous opposition
from the now ruling Congress party and allies when it attempted to make the same
change, considered an affront to Hinduism, in the text books.)
References
to ancient India's beef-eaters have been done away with in NCERT's
newly-introduced history textbooks. NCERT, National Council of Educational
Research and Training, is the national commission responsible for the textbooks
in India's schools. NCERT changed the syllabus for Classes I, III, VI, IX and XI
from this year in accordance with the national curriculum framework (NCF) 2005,
to prescribe broad guidelines for an ideal course curriculum. Till last year,
Class VI and XI textbooks had references to beef-eating habits. "These
references were there in ancient Indian history books for Classes VI and IX till
last year. Those textbooks have been replaced and the new ones have no mention
of beef-eating," NCERT spokesman Ashish Bahad said. The reference had raised
objections from several quarters last year and a Public Interest Litigation was
filed in the Supreme Court. NCERT had also formed a three-member expert
committee to look into the matter. "Following the NCF 2005, NCERT developed new
history textbooks that attempt to arouse the curiosity of schoolchildren. The
books encourage students to find out historical facts on their own," Bahad
added.
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