How right is the change in the environmental curriculum by NCERT ?

Environmental curriculum by NCERT major changes Story By Climate Kahani:

United Nations data shows that around 100 million children around the world are at risk of the increasing effects of climate change and pollution. India is also contributing to this figure and this climate crisis is threatening the health , education and safety of children of 33 countries including India. 

So when children around the world are struggling with any impact of climate change, it is very important to increase understanding and awareness about this topic among children. Especially because children in 33 countries, including India , Nigeria , the Philippines and Africa, are simultaneously facing climate impacts such as heatwaves , floods , cyclones , disease , drought and air pollution. But in spite of all this , in India , Government thinks that information regarding climate change is not necessary for children. Therefore several changes are made in the curriculum of NCERT syllabus.

Environmental curriculum by NCERT major changes

• Removal of an entire chapter on Effects of Greenhouse Gases from the Class 11 Geography syllabus.
•  An entire chapter on Climate Weather Systems and Water from the Class 7 syllabus.
• Chapter on Water from the Class 9 syllabus. Includes deletion of information about the Indian monsoon. 

Keep in mind that as a result of the COVID - 19 pandemic, the regular schedule of studies across the country has been severely affected. School children dependent on their teachers and their school have been affected the most.

Teachers and students have not been able to meet for more than two years and due to intermittent and uneven availability of internet and other technical services to students of different social strata, students have to find most of the material through their own channels. In such a situation, in the context of reducing the stress of studies on children, it is understandable that NCERT is trying to reduce the study load of the students and argues that similar material which overlaps each other.

But an organization called Teachers Against the Climate Crisis says something else through an open letter. “Like NCERT, we at TACC also believe that students should not work hard on outdated and repetitive information. However, none of these concerns apply to fundamental issues such as climate change science , Indian monsoon and other chapters , which have been omitted from the syllabus. Keep in mind that relevant climate change science is constantly being updated through thousands of peer-reviewed papers published every year. It is extremely important that the gist of such updated information is communicated to senior school students across India in an accessible , easy to understand manner. Including India , students are deeply engaged and exposed to drastic changes caused by environmental degradation , an example of which is climate change. Youth actions and interventions are vital to meet this most fundamental challenge.” 

There is no doubt that students need to understand the complexity of the climate crisis. It is therefore imperative that schools continue to provide students with information about climate change and related issues in a way that is accurate , rational and relevant. Climate change is now widely believed to be the result of global, economic and industrial patterns that have threatened the planetary systems necessary for life. This issue can no longer be understood only through the prism of "environmental science". Instead it has included a variety of subjects in the school curriculum , including physics , contemporary India , history and democratic politics. 

Teachers Against the Climate Crisis further says in this open letter , “We urge NCERT to reconsider this and demand reinstatement of the removed syllabus. We also urge that the various aspects of the climate crisis be taught to all senior school students in multiple languages ​​and in different subjects as it concerns so many people.” 

Finally , Nagraj Adve , founding member of Teachers Against the Climate Crisis , says , “There is a growing concern among the youth about climate issues. They are grappling with different aspects of the climate crisis in India and around the world. This is a reality that your generation of ours has not faced. It is extremely important to know how climate change is interacting with our environment and society in different ways, along with changing weather patterns, monsoon patterns and changes in water flow . School is where young people first develop an understanding of these issues. So it is strange that NCERT has decided to remove text and information related to this subject from the curriculum in schools. 

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