The National Council for Education, Research and Training (NCERT) removed Darwinian evolution material from school science textbooks to lighten the study load after the COVID-19 pandemic. From the start of the academic year, evolution no longer appears in grade nine and ten science books. The chapter "Evolution and Heredity" for grades 11 and 12 was reduced to "Heredity" and a boxed section on Charles Darwin and his work was erased.
On 22 April an open appeal, signed by hundreds of leading scientists and science educators, criticised NCERT for making changes that were meant to be temporary. The statement said the principles of natural selection remain relevant and help explain how pandemics progress and why species go extinct.
T V Venkateshwaran of Vigyan Prasar, a Department of Science and Technology body, said the deletions show how science education is handled and argued that topics are added or removed without reference to educational research. He said science education should communicate key modern concepts and pointed to the human genome project as evidence of links among living beings.
Opposition to Darwinism surfaced publicly in 2018 when Satya Pal Singh, then minister of state in the education ministry, told Parliament that "nobody" had seen an ape turn into a man and said Darwin’s theory needed to change in curricula. India’s three main science academies—the Indian Academy of Science, the Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences—rejected that view and warned against removing evolution from teaching.
Commentators also noted how religious orthodoxy affects acceptance of Darwinism in other countries. The article lists several states where the theory has been banned or removed from curricula and others where it is taught within a religious framework.
- Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Algeria and Morocco: banned the theory;
- Lebanon: removed it from the curriculum;
- Jordan: teaches it within a religious framework.
Difficult words
- lighten — make something less heavy or difficult
- erase — remove writing or information completelyerased
- appeal — public request for help or support
- principle — basic idea that explains somethingprinciples
- natural selection — process where organisms with traits survive
- deletion — act of removing text or materialdeletions
- orthodoxy — accepted traditional beliefs or practices
- curriculum — set of courses or study contentcurricula
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What might be the long-term effects on students if evolution is removed from science textbooks? Give reasons.
- How should educational authorities decide which topics to remove or keep after a disruption like a pandemic?
- The article mentions religious orthodoxy affecting acceptance of Darwinism. How can science education address diverse beliefs while teaching scientific theories?
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