The NCERT has altered the curriculum for Classes 6 through 12 to "reduce the content load" on children in light of the Covid epidemic, according to officials. For this academic year, they claimed that almost 30% of the curricula have been cut.
Education minister suggests inclusion of Yoga in NCERT curriculum
Teachers Against the Climate Crisis (TACC) claims that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has omitted information about the monsoon from the Class 9 curriculum, a chapter on weather, climate, and water from the Class 7 curriculum, as well as an entire chapter on the greenhouse effect from the Class 11 geography curriculum.
The lecturers emphasised how crucial it was for senior school students all throughout India to communicate the meaning of this new information in a clear and understandable way.
Jharkhand woman apologises for UPSC claim
They asked that the NCERT bring back the chapters and teach various aspects of climate change to all senior school students across a range of subjects and languages.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a massive disruption to regular learning schedules all over the country... In the context of the ensuing 'learning deficit', it may seem understandable that the NCERT seeks to reduce students' workload by culling material that overlaps with similar material or is 'irrelevant in the present context'.
College admissions to be based on CUET scores, not Class 12 marks
"However, none of these concerns applies to fundamental issues such as climate change science, the Indian monsoon, and the other chapters that have been deleted," the TACC said.
It was noted that the newest IPCC report, released earlier this year, as well as the first climate change report for the Indian region from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, published in 2020, serve as important examples of how current climate change science is regularly updated.
"Getting educated about how climate change is interacting with our environment and society in a range of ways, the changing weather systems, monsoon patterns and water flows, is crucial.
CBSE declares new scheme for class 10, 12 board exams for 2021-22 session
"It is bizarre that the NCERT has decided to drop related topics from school syllabi because that is where young people are first exposed to and develop an understanding of these issues," said Nagraj Adve, the founder member of TACC.
Students need to understand the complexity of the climate crisis if they are to respond and engage intelligently with it, the group said.
In recent years, this engagement has typically begun in the classroom. It is therefore essential that schools continue to present students with information about climate change and related issues that is accurate, up-to-date, rational, and relevant, they said.
(With PTI inputs)
