NCERT reconstitutes textbook development team for class 11, 12 political science; at least 4 members have RSS links

NCERT reconstitutes political science textbook panel for classes 11, 12

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has replaced its Class 11 and 12 political science textbook development panel with a new team, according to reports by Hindustan Times and Times Now. The new 20-member panel, notified on August 14, 2026, supersedes the previous panel that had been constituted on June 5, 2025, as reported by Times Now.

The team is mandated to integrate cultural rootedness, Indian knowledge systems, and inclusion into the textbooks, and to finalise syllabi and develop teaching-learning material in line with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, as reported by Hindustan Times and Times Now.

Team leadership and composition

The panel is led by academic and political analyst Sandeep Shastri, vice president of Karnataka-based Nitte deemed university, according to both outlets. Dr Vanthangpui Khobung and Dr Subhash Singh of NCERT have been named member-coordinators, and they will handle formal communication and convey norms on meetings and publications, as reported by Times Now.

The panel draws academics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, National Law University Delhi, Chanakya University Bengaluru, IGNOU, Utkal University, and Pondicherry University, alongside school educators and NCERT officials, according to Times Now. Hindustan Times added that the team includes members such as Prakash Kandpal, Needhi Gupta, Chetan Singhal, Sukanshika Vatsa, Satish Kumar, Deevanshu Shrivastava, Pranav Gupta, Nanda Kishore, and Swapna Prabhu from various universities, as well as M N Suresh Kumar, Diana Isabel, and N. Bharani from government degree and PU colleges.

The class 11 textbook is scheduled for completion by November 30, 2026, and the class 12 textbook by July 30, 2027, as reported by Times Now. Hindustan Times reported the deadlines as November and July next year.

Members' affiliations

At least four members have documented links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or its affiliated organisations, according to both Hindustan Times and Times Now.

Yadunath Deshpande, a senior consultant with the Ministry of Education, has a longstanding organisational background in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), with organisational records identifying him as a past joint state organising secretary for Maharashtra, according to both outlets. His LinkedIn profile describes him as a political consultant for the BJP, as reported by both Hindustan Times and Times Now.

Prashant Divekar has a longstanding association with Pune-based Jnana Prabodhini, with Times Now reporting that he heads its Teacher Education Centre. Hindustan Times reported that Jnana Prabodhini is an RSS-affiliated institution founded in 1962 by Vinayak Vishwanath, an RSS member and pracharak, while Times Now named the founder as RSS pracharak Vivekananda Pendse.

Vandana Mishra, professor at JNU's Centre for Political Studies, is a former national secretary of the ABVP, according to both outlets. Ravi Rameshchandra Shukla, Associate Professor at JNU, has served on the editorial board of the Indian Journal of Democratic Governance, published by the Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership-Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, which both outlets identify as an RSS affiliate. Hindustan Times added that Shukla is the principal investigator of a project titled 'The Role of Fests in Shaping of Spiritual and Cultural Nationalism of Bharat: A Study of Kumbha and Magh Mela'.

Mandate and process

The panel has been directed to integrate Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and cultural rootedness as cross-cutting themes, alongside equity, inclusion, age-appropriate pedagogy, value education, and ICT, according to Times Now. The team will seek guidance from the curricular area group covering social science, languages, Indian knowledge systems, environmental education, innovative pedagogy, and teaching-learning material, as reported by both outlets.

A Textbook Core Group will review chapters before final approval, and all members will contribute to writing, illustration, review, language editing, and literature review, according to Times Now. The outlet added that NCERT can invite outside experts, teachers, and illustrators for specific chapters, subject to the Director's approval.

The notification for the new panel was issued by NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani, as reported by Hindustan Times.