Rajasthan Education Minister Defends Removal of Supplementary History Books
Education Minister Madan Dilawar on Friday provided justification for the removal of four supplementary history books for Classes 9-12 that were scheduled for the 2026-27 academic session. The minister asserted that this decision was necessary to prevent students from learning what he described as distorted historical facts.
Criticism of Previous Congress Government
Speaking to media representatives in Kota, Dilawar launched a strong critique against the previous Congress administration, accusing them of failing to adequately represent significant historical figures in the curriculum. "The Congress has neglected many heroes of history," Dilawar stated emphatically. "Did only the Nehru-Gandhi family contribute to the nation? Did Patel, Shastri and Ambedkar make no contribution at all? By revising the curriculum, we are simply teaching the truth."
Minister Clarifies Book Status and Purpose
The minister clarified that these supplementary books were not part of the formal examination curriculum, and marks obtained from them were not included in final results. "They were taught solely for the purpose of acquiring general knowledge," Dilawar explained. "If the goal is to impart knowledge, then why not teach something truly worthwhile? The Congress has produced many distinguished leaders — we pay our respects to them. Yet, figures like Shastri and Patel are conspicuously absent; absolutely nothing has been written about them."
Specific Content Concerns Raised
Dilawar highlighted particular concerns about how certain historical figures were represented in the removed materials. The Class 12 book titled 'Azadi Ke Baad Ka Swarnim Bharat Part 2' mentioned former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri only in chapters discussing the milk revolution in India.
Regarding Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the minister noted that "only a single line was dedicated to Ambedkar" and that he was described "merely as a Dalit leader." The Class 11 book 'Azadi Ke Baad Ka Swarnim Bharat Part 1' contained a section on the drafting of the Indian Constitution that stated: "On Aug 29, 1947, the Constituent Assembly appointed a Drafting Committee. Dr Ambedkar was elected as the chairman of this committee."
The book elaborated further on Ambedkar's role: "It was these individuals who provided the Constituent Assembly with technical and legal expertise. These individuals — along with their diverse social and professional backgrounds — played a decisive role in shaping the fundamental structure of the Constitution, establishing its philosophical underpinnings, and endowing it with a sense of purpose."
Educational Experts Express Concern
Despite the minister's justification, educational experts have expressed significant concern about the decision to remove these books. They noted that the materials contained essential knowledge for students preparing for state recruitment examinations, particularly the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) exams.
"All four of these books were extremely sought after by those preparing for competitive exams in the state," revealed a history teacher from a government school in Jaipur, who requested anonymity. "For state history, aspiring candidates follow the additional reading material for Class 9 and 10 that has been discontinued. We teachers always get requests from aspirants to provide them these two books in particular."
Teachers explained that examination aspirants typically follow a dual approach to preparation:
- NCERT history books for national history content
- RBSE (Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education) books for state history content
The removal of these supplementary materials creates a potential gap in resources for students preparing for competitive examinations that include Rajasthan-specific historical content.
