NCERT changes reflect India's identity, not ideology, says Dharmendra Pradhan

In an interview with Aaj Tak, Dharmendra Pradhan defended the National Education Policy (NEP), shedding light on the government’s vision for the future of education in India. He explained the rationale behind the timing of the reforms and stressed the importance of highlighting India’s own heroes in school history books.

Five years into the NEP, Pradhan insists the policy isn’t just about classrooms. “It is about India’s identity,” he said. “From pre-school to research labs, the system must reflect the needs of India, the ambitions of its youth, and the demands of the world.”

The policy, he claimed, is grounded not in politics but in Indian civilisational memory.

Asked about changes in NCERT textbooks, particularly the



reduced focus on Mughal rulers like Akbar and the inclusion of lesser-known Indian heroes, Pradhan was unflinching. “We are not rewriting history. We are recovering it,” he said.

“There were kings, saints, warriors who were never given space. We are just bringing them back,” he added further.

He dismissed the charge that BJP ideology is guiding curriculum changes. “This is not party thinking. This is national thinking,” he said.

Operation Sindoor, India's recent military operation, has entered the education space. Pradhan confirmed that the operation will be taught in schools as a study module.

“If our soldiers crossed borders and returned with pride, that story belongs in our classrooms,” he said.