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Scientists Object to Removal of Evolution from Indian Textbooks

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an independent arm of the Indian government, made the change as part of a "content rationalization" process.
on May 04, 2023

Scientists have reportedly objected to the decision to remove references to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution from textbooks used by millions of ninth- and tenth-grade students in India.

In a recent contentious policy that education officials adopted, material that had been excluded was removed. More than 4000 researchers and other individuals have signed an open letter urging officials to reinstate the material.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an independent arm of the Indian government, made the change as part of a "content rationalization" process. NCERT produces textbooks and determines the curriculum for 256 million primary and secondary students.

Researchers worry that it indicates an increased acceptance of pseudoscience by Indian authorities, and the Breakthrough Science Society has published an open letter calling for the inclusion of the passage in textbooks.

In order to simplify online lectures during the epidemic, the NCERT reportedly initially eliminated the discussion of Darwinian evolution from the textbooks.

Officials, however, shied away from commenting on the choice to make the removal permanent.

The Breakthrough Science Society released a statement in which it stated that "the country's scientific community is seriously dismayed to see that the theory of biological evolution... has been dropped." If this important scientific finding is withheld from students, it will drastically impair their ability to think.

According to evolutionary biologist Amitabh Joshi of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, "Most Indian students will get no exposure to the concept of evolution if it is dropped from the ninth and 10th-grade curriculum because they do not go on to study biology in later grades."

"Evolution is arguably the most significant biological concept that all well-informed citizens should be aware of. It makes a direct reference to our identity as humans and our place in the wider living universe.

There is 'not much chance' that NCERT would change its mind, according to Aniket Sule, an astronomer and scientific advocate at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Scientific Education.

Former All India Peoples Science Network president and biologist Satyajit Rath is similarly pessimistic.

Will [the demonstration] have any impact? Most likely not, at least not in the near future, given the recent trends of the Indian government's decisions of this nature. The speaker stated that sustained progressive efforts would be necessary to affect the long-term results.

The concept of evolution has been questioned by academics and politicians affiliated with hardline Hindu organizations, who have also propagated unfounded claims that early Indians developed spaceships and engaged in stem cell research.

Meanwhile, an Indian minister claimed that misleading propaganda' had been spread regarding the removal of Darwin's Theory from the science textbook for class 10.

"Removing Darwin's Theory from the NCERT Curriculum is misguided propaganda," stated education minister Subhas Sarkar.

"Covid-19 caused the rationalization of courses, which helped to lighten the load of homework on young students. All websites have Darwin's Theory available for children to study. He said there shouldn't be such misleading advertising because Darwin's Theory is already included in class 12's curriculum.

'Heredity' will replace 'Heredity and Evolution' in the Class 10 science textbook, according to NCERT's announcement from the previous year.

Evolution, acquired and inherited qualities, tracing evolutionary links, fossils, "evolution by stages," "evolution should not be equated with progress," and "human evolution" are some of the subjects cut from the chapter.