TIPU SULTAN, RAZIYA SULTAN, NUR JAHAN REMOVED FROM NCERT SYLLABUS FOR CLASS 8 UNDER NEP REVISION

Sat 09 August 2025:

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has dropped prominent historical figures like Tipu Sultan, Haider Ali, Raziya Sultan and Nur Jahan from the history syllabus of 8th class. This change has been done under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.

Jayant Chaudhary, the Minister of State for Education stated that the new textbook of social sciences part 1 now doesn’t include the 18th-century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali. Mentions of Raziya Sultana and Nur Jahan of Delhi Sultanate have also been dropped from the syllabus.

Tipu Sultan is popularly known and applauded for his bravery. He and his father, Hyder Ali fought against the British and led the Anglo-Mysore wars which was an important freedom struggle movement of India. Raziya Sultana and Nur Jahan are also prominent women figures in Indian history. The revision completely excluding their names and their struggle raised questions on the reasons behind such moves. Raising objections to this, MP Ritabrata Banerjee voiced his concerns in parliament on August 6.

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A government official said that this step was taken to make the syllabus appropriate for students. He said, “This was done to make the content appropriate for the students.”

The revision includes the names of other historical figures like Rani Durgavati, Ahliyabai Holkar, and Rani Abbakka. The Education Ministry stated that the curriculum aims to give a broader overview of the civilisations and not detailed biographies.

This revised textbook has been divided into four themes. The themes — India and the World:Land and the People, Tapestry of the Past, Governance and Democracy and Economic Life Around Us. The NCERT states that this revision fosters experiential learning, fieldwork and understanding history through evidence.

Meanwhile, activists have questioned this move calling it an attempt to erase Muslim figures from history textbooks that are taught to different age groups.