No distortions this time: Arjun

The BJP ministers had walked out yesterday, alleging that the NCF didn’t give ‘‘adequate importance’’ to India’s heritage and accused the ministry of succumbing to Left pressure. Singh said the NCF could not be re-drafted to incorporate all suggestions from ministers but all inputs would be used while preparing the syllabus and textbooks.

‘‘I am sad that some ministers walked out yesterday. All suggestions will be considered while textbooks are written. The NCERT will set up a monitoring committee to ensure this,’’ he said.

Singh said the government’s commitment to secularism and the Constitution are implicit in the country’s educational policy and nobody needs to worry about it. ‘‘If anything goes wrong, I shall be responsible and I am aware of my duties,’’ he said in an apparent bid to placate critics of NCF from among the UPA allies.

With the Framework passed, NCERT director Prof Krishna Kumar said the ‘‘new syllabus and textbooks will be in place by the next academic session’’. The panels set up to draft the syllabus and prepare textbooks have already begun functioning, he said.

The NCF provides the outline for education in the country and has been the subject of intense political wrangling in recent years with pro-BJP and anti-BJP educationists taking opposite views on what should be taught in schools.

The CABE meeting that discussed the NCF over the last two days was stormy with academicians voicing their differences and ministers from five BJP-ruled stated walking out in protest of alleged ‘‘neglect of Indian culture’’ and the government ‘‘surrendering to Marxists’’.

The NCF-2005 emphasises on reducing stress among children and making ‘‘learning enjoyable’’ by making it activity-based and localised. According to officials, nearly 2000 students reportedly commit suicide every year, unable to cope with stress over studies.