The government has no business in providing history textbooks to schools and should not engage in this, to ensure that history is not distorted, said M G S Narayanan, an eminent historian and former chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research. His comment gains significance in the wake of a recent controversy on a reference to the Nadar community in Tamil Nadu in CBSE textbooks of class-IX.
Speaking on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony at CMS College of Science and Commerce in the city, he said, history may be recorded according to the prejudices of the person who records it.
“Distortion is common and happens everywhere. History cannot be checked and is derived from literature and archeological sculptures. If a Buddhist is recording history, his personal choices may influence it, and so is the case with others,” he said.
Stating that he was against government-sponsored history text books, he said, the Nation should adopt practices followed in other countries.
“We should take a cue from the education system abroad, where a teacher and an expert prepare textbooks, unlike in our system, where a special team constituted by politicians decide what children should study. Education should be open-ended, where questions are encouraged and constant interaction takes place,” he said.
Referring to reforms in higher education in India, he said secrecy in examinations should change. “In universities abroad, there is transparency as students would know where they lost marks and where they scored,” he said.