Experts Warn of Growing Historical Distortion in Textbooks
Urge for Fact-Based Curriculum
Hyderabad: Experts at an event organised by the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) Academia Vertical here on Sunday raised serious concern over the growing distortion of history in school textbooks, warning that such politically motivated changes threaten the country’s secular fabric, democratic ethos, and the intellectual development of students.
This sentiment set the tone for a seminar titled ‘Distortion of History in Textbooks and Its Implications’, organised at the Madina Education Centre, Nampally. The discussion brought together prominent academics and intellectuals who examined how “deliberate alterations” in NCERT textbooks were shaping an “us versus them” mindset among young learners, according to a statement.
The event was moderated by Maria Tabassum, deputy state head for academia, AIPC Telangana, the event and featured Prof. Ram Puniyani, author and former IIT Bombay professor, Akunuri Murali, chairperson, Telangana Education Commission; Prof. Padmaja Shaw, retired professor of journalism, Osmania University; and Dr Kanchan, national head, AIPC Academia Vertical.
Prof. Puniyani highlighted that there was a systematic removal of pluralistic and secular narratives and warned that such omissions erode India’s inclusive legacy, the statement said.
Murali stressed that curriculum manipulation serves political interests rather than educational integrity, while Prof. Shaw questioned the media’s role in legitimising distorted versions of history. Dr Kanchan cautioned that the ongoing changes to the syllabus in schools and colleges undermined academic freedom and urged educators to defend fact-based learning. Panelists cited examples of omissions and biased portrayals in NCERT revisions, calling for transparent and inclusive curriculum reform.
