The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has received backlash from over 1800 scientists, educators, and science enthusiasts in India for removing Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution from science textbooks for classes 9 and 10. NCERT has claimed that this was part of their syllabus rationalization effort following the Covid-19 outbreak. However, the scientific community argues that the omission of Darwin’s theory is a “travesty of education” and will impede students’ critical thinking abilities. This removal of important scientific and historical information from the curriculum is not a new issue and has previously sparked concerns and objections from concerned parties.
Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, is widely known as the “father of evolution” for his role in establishing the idea of evolution. His theory explained the emergence of distinct species more logically, debunking the prevailing, antiquated notions that it was a result of supernatural occurrences or an act of God. Darwin’s theory of natural selection holds that different species developed from a single species due to adaptation to the environment’s changing conditions.
Over two decades, Darwin meticulously studied nature, exploring the animal distribution and the correlations between living and extinct creatures. His extensive findings earned him the title of the father of evolution. Darwin’s scientific breakthroughs helped to discredit old, supernatural beliefs, proving that the adaptation of species to their changing environment leads to the creation of new, distinct beings stemming from one original species.
There are several interesting facts about Darwin and his theory of evolution. For example, his inquiry into the practice of human inbreeding was shunned due to its implicit critique of the royal family. Additionally, Darwin had to publicize his own ideas concurrently to avoid Alfred Wallace from getting all the credit for the natural selection theory. There are also speculations that Darwin’s frequent bouts of sickness may have been primarily psychological since his symptoms would often exacerbate stress. Finally, Charles Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a physician who talked about transmutation or evolution, leading to his disgrace and discredit. This caused a sense of trepidation in Charles about the possibility of being publicly reprimanded, causing him to be slow in publishing his works.
This is not the first time significant scientific or historical information has been removed from the curriculum, sparking concerns and objections from concerned parties. Historians previously objected to the removal of significant events such as the Mughal rule and the Gujarat Riots 2002 from history textbooks. The school education regulator defended the “minor removals” in the curriculum, stating that these deletions were not included in the official list of deletions announced last year to avoid confusion among teachers and students. However, historians argued that deleting chapters or sections from textbooks is problematic as it deprives learners of valuable content and undermines pedagogical values necessary to equip them to face present and future challenges.
