BJP ministers walk out, see Left hand in NCF

The NCERT governing council had earlier accepted the framework before sending it to the CABE for its approval.

Education ministers from Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand staged the walkout, alleging that their views were not included in the NCF. Rajasthan Minister Vasudev Devnani said the Centre has ‘‘surrendered education

to Marxists’’.

However, Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh, who moved the resolution to accept the framework, said all suggestions made by the ministers will be taken into account when the syllabus and textbooks are prepared. A monitoring committee of CABE members and state representatives will be set up to ensure this process, he added.

Devanani said that BJP-ruled states may even consider not working within the NCF if their proposals are not accepted. ‘‘Emphasis is not given to Sanskrit, which is devvani (language of the Gods), and yoga is only been discussed as part of physical training. Yoga should be taught as a separate stream with much more importance,’’ he said.

On history, the BJP Minister said, ‘‘It does not appreciate India’s heritage adequately.’’ The framework, he said, was ‘‘materialistic in its approach, neglecting the spiritual aspects of life… We cannot accept the NCF in its existing form.’’

When the 2000 NCF was prepared by the then NDA government, several Congress and Left-ruled states had refused to prepare their school syllabus under it. They accused it of ‘‘communalising education.’’

This time, only 11 states had sent in their suggestions on the NCF in advance to be included in the draft.

The NCERT is keen to ensure that new set of textbooks are in place by the next academic session. Even as the NCF is being finalised, syllabus and text books are being prepared, though they ideally should have followed the NCF.

‘‘The idea is to save time. If there is some change in the NCF in the last minute, only that portion of the textbooks will need to be changed,’’ an official of the HRD Ministry said.

‘Class X exams still on’

New Delhi: NCERT director Krishna Kumar on Tuesday denied that the NCF has proposed cancelling of Class X Board exams. ‘‘The NCF only says the boards could think of this as a long-term measure. It is not part of the recommendations,’’ he said, after several ministers opposed the idea saying exams were the only tool they have to guage both student and teacher proficiency. — ENS