CBSE school managers have rejected reports that textbooks published by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) have been made mandatory in all CBSE schools.
The All India Private School Managers Association (AIPSMA) said reports in a section of the media about the CBSE insisting on NCERT textbooks as false and fabricated with hidden motives.
The association pointed out that the CBSE had given freedom for schools to select textbooks in accordance with the situation. The CBSE gives freedom for the school to follow textbooks published by private publishers even while following a syllabus on the basis of NCERT/CBSE curriculum.
However, the CBSE has asked the schools to “exercise extreme caution while selecting books of private publishers.” The CBSE circular insists that the content of the books should be scrutinised to preclude any objectionable elements that hurt the feelings of any class, community, gender or religious groups.
Responsibility
“If the prescribed books are found to have any objectionable content, the school will have to take responsibility for it,” the circular says.
The CBSE has further asked schools to publish a list of the books they prefer on the school website. The school manager and principal also should certify that they had not found anything objectionable in the books.
