An Allahabad High Court order recommending the inclusion of content on the dangers of caste prejudice in school curriculum has come as a jolt for the national textbook preparation body, which has sought to glorify the caste system.
A September 16 order by Justice Vinod Diwakar suggested textbook content sensitising students on caste and social inequality.
The court was dealing with a petition seeking the quashing of criminal proceedings in a case of illegal liquor transportation from Haryana to Bihar via Uttar Pradesh in April 2023. Uttar Pradesh Police had intercepted two cars and lodged an FIR mentioning the castes of the accused. The court had directed the police to refrain from mentioning the caste.
Dwelling on the caste issue, the court said the measures taken by the government to overcome caste-based unequal systems focused on affirmative action but not on dismantling social prejudices.
“The law can punish overt acts of discrimination, but it does little to address the subtle everyday forms of exclusion still prevalent in institutions, schools, workplaces and villages. There is no nationwide awareness programme specially targeted at caste prejudice, like campaigns on cleanliness and gender equality,” the order stated.
“The schools have a policy on inclusion, but there is no systematic curriculum module dedicated solely to anti-caste education…. To minimise caste discrimination, the government needs sustained programmes alongside laws — a national campaign promoting social harmony and caste equality. School curriculum modules should teach children about equality, dignity and the dangers of caste prejudice,” the court held.
The court order comes at a time the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is preparing new textbooks for all classes. Last year, it introduced textbooks for Classes III and VI. This year, new books will be released for Classes IV, V, VII and VIII. Some books have already been made available.
The social science textbook for Class VII — Exploring Society India and Beyond — seeks to defend the caste system by saying it was flexible and gave stability to India’s social structure.
According to the book, the Indian society had a two-tier system of “jati” linked to occupation and “varna”, a hierarchical order rooted in Vedic texts. There were four varnas — Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras.
“There is historical evidence, both in texts and inscriptions, that in the early period individuals and communities changed their professional occupations if circumstances demanded. For instance, a long drought or some natural calamity could force a community of farmers to migrate to a city and take up other occupations, or some Brahmins would turn to trade or even military activities. This complex system structured Indian society, organised its activities, including economic ones, and therefore gave it some stability,” a passage in the book stated.
“There is a broad agreement that the system was significantly different (more flexible, in particular) in earlier periods and became more rigid with the passage of time, in particular during the British rule in India,” it added.
Hansaraj Suman, a faculty member of a college under Delhi University and chairman of the Forum of Academics for Social Justice, said the NCERT should have included adequate material on caste as an unequal system.
“Instead of defending caste, the NCERT should have given materials about the life and legacy of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule, Periyar and their struggles. The students should know how Ambedkar faced discrimination by his upper caste peers and teachers in school. This will make children understand the unequal caste system and the relevance of affirmative policies like reservation,” Suman said.