NCERT's New Class 6 Textbook Merges History, Geography, and Civics

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced a new Social Science textbook for Class 6 titled "Exploring Society - India and Beyond." This book condenses the material from three previous textbooks on History, Geography, and Civics. The update is part of NCERT's curriculum revision for the 2024-25 academic year. The Hindu had previously reported that the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee was considering this merger.

A significant highlight of the new book is Chapter 5: "India, that is Bharat," which explores the etymology of 'Bharat' with references from ancient Indian texts like the Mahabharata and Vishnu Purana. The chapter mentions historical regions such as Kāshmīra (modern-day Kashmir), Kurukṣhetra (parts of Haryana), Vanga (parts of Bengal), Prāgjyotiṣha (modern-day Assam), Kaccha (modern-day Kutch), and Kerala. The text includes many Sanskrit terms with diacritics to ensure correct pronunciation.

Textbook Structure and Themes

The new textbook is divided into five themes, presenting a comprehensive yet condensed version of the previous curriculum.

• Geography (34 pages):
• Chapters include Oceans and Continents, and Landforms and Life.
• Concepts like measuring longitude and latitude have been removed.
• Previously, Geography content spanned 48 pages.

Historical Content Reduction:

• Themes 'Tapestry of the Past' and 'Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions' now span 46 pages with five chapters on History, reduced from ten chapters in the older textbook.
• Chapter 4 discusses 'Timeline and Sources of History.'
• Chapter 5 explores the origins of 'Bharat.'

Chapter Highlights:

Chapter 6, 'The Beginning of Indian Civilisation,' starts with a quote from B.B. Lal, highlighting Dholavira, a Harappan site in Gujarat, replacing Mohenjodaro's cover image.
Chapter 7, 'India's Cultural Roots,' expands on the Vedas and includes stories from 'Katha Upanishad' and 'Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.' It also features an 18th-century painting from the Ramayana.

Emphasis on Cultural Roots

The new textbook retains references to Hindu texts, Buddhism, and Jainism, appropriate for Class 6 students studying ancient pre-Mughal India. However, it drastically reduces detailed explorations of ancient Indian kingdoms. Chapters on Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya, Chanakya's Arthashastra, and the Gupta dynasty, including works like Kalidasa's literature, have been omitted.

Governance and Economics

Governance and Democracy:
The fourth theme focuses on local governance structures.
Economics:
The fifth theme addresses economic concepts.

NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani explains in the introductory chapter that the goal was to keep the text minimal by focusing on 'big ideas' and combining inputs from history, geography, political science, and economics into single themes.