CHANDIGARH 2: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed National Council of Education, Research and Training, (NCERT), New Delhi, to take a call on the representations of a city-based academician highlighting 17 errors in biology textbooks of classes XI and XII within six weeks.
Dr Arvind Goyal, the petitioner, who gives coaching for medical entrance exams, had pointed out the errors and sent the representations to the NCERT, but did not get a response The high court, in its order, said, "We dispose of the petition by directing NCERT to take a decision on the representations dated May 11, 2017, and November 4, 2017, in accordance with law by passing a speaking order..." Goyal had also written to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). It too had directed the NCERT to respond but to no avail. Goyal had filed the petition in the high court on November
21. Goyal said his correspondence with the NCERT regarding the errors in the Biology Exemplars and textbooks started in 2012.
"More than 100 corrections had been carried out in biology books on my suggestion. But earlier as well, all this was done only after the PMO intervened and a petition was filed later.
The high court had directed the NCERT to carry out the exercise through an order dated March 13, 2014. Thereafter, a representation was made for 25 new errors and a petition was again filed. The NCERT was then also directed to rectify the existing and new errors," Goyal said.
Although the NCERT had rectified many errors, some were not. Around 11 errors were pointed out to the NCERT last year, to which it had not responded till date.
"We had sent a representation on March 12 to the PMO for instructing the NCERT to rectify the errors, which were forwarded to secretary, department of education in science and mathematics (DESM), NCERT. We received a reply from him on April 28 that they have rectified many mistakes.
In view of the reply, we made a representation on May 11 along with a list of errors to the NCERT for rectification of the pending 11 errors, but to no effect. Thereafter, we made another representation on November 4 to professor and head, DESM, NCERT, New Delhi for rectification, but got no response," Goyal said.
He suggested a need for online service for rectifying errors. "Considering the fact that there are so many errors in NCERT books and that these books are important for all the exams, the NCERT should develop a portal where teachers and students can load the erroneous facts. The NCERT expert group should examine these errors at the earliest and corrections should be loaded on the portal without any delay," he said.
Dr Arvind Goyal, the petitioner, who gives coaching for medical entrance exams, had pointed out the errors and sent the representations to the NCERT, but did not get a response The high court, in its order, said, "We dispose of the petition by directing NCERT to take a decision on the representations dated May 11, 2017, and November 4, 2017, in accordance with law by passing a speaking order..." Goyal had also written to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). It too had directed the NCERT to respond but to no avail. Goyal had filed the petition in the high court on November
"More than 100 corrections had been carried out in biology books on my suggestion. But earlier as well, all this was done only after the PMO intervened and a petition was filed later.
The high court had directed the NCERT to carry out the exercise through an order dated March 13, 2014. Thereafter, a representation was made for 25 new errors and a petition was again filed. The NCERT was then also directed to rectify the existing and new errors," Goyal said.
Although the NCERT had rectified many errors, some were not. Around 11 errors were pointed out to the NCERT last year, to which it had not responded till date.
"We had sent a representation on March 12 to the PMO for instructing the NCERT to rectify the errors, which were forwarded to secretary, department of education in science and mathematics (DESM), NCERT. We received a reply from him on April 28 that they have rectified many mistakes.
In view of the reply, we made a representation on May 11 along with a list of errors to the NCERT for rectification of the pending 11 errors, but to no effect. Thereafter, we made another representation on November 4 to professor and head, DESM, NCERT, New Delhi for rectification, but got no response," Goyal said.
He suggested a need for online service for rectifying errors. "Considering the fact that there are so many errors in NCERT books and that these books are important for all the exams, the NCERT should develop a portal where teachers and students can load the erroneous facts. The NCERT expert group should examine these errors at the earliest and corrections should be loaded on the portal without any delay," he said.
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