Class 8 NCERT Book Skips Tipu Sultan, Anglo-Mysore Wars; Centre Explains Decision

The revised textbook, released last month, includes a section on early resistance movements against British colonial rule before the 1857 revolt, details below.

The exclusion of Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali, and the Anglo-Mysore wars from the updated NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook has sparked debate in Parliament. The central government clarified that individual states have the freedom to add content related to regional figures and historical events to their school syllabus. According to media reports, Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said, “Education being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and the majority of schools being under the jurisdiction of the State Governments, the respective State Government may adopt or adapt NCERT textbooks or develop their own textbooks based on the National Curriculum Framework. The states have flexibility to provide more coverage about regional personalities and events in their textbooks."

Trinamool Congress MP Ritabrata Banerjee raised the question, asking whether the new Class 8 textbook leaves out references to Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali, and the Anglo-Mysore wars of the 1700s in the chapter on India’s colonial history, and sought reasons for their exclusion.

NEP 2020 Policy

In a written response, Minister Jayant Chaudhary stated that the updated Class 8 Social Science textbook (Part 1) was created based on the guidelines of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023.

“The new textbook comprises four themes: India and the World: Land and the People; Tapestry of the Past; Governance and Democracy; Economic Life Around Us," he added further.

Pedagogical approaches in textbooks

Jayant Chaudhary said, “Personalities featured in these themes have been included contextually and in accordance with curricular objectives. The textbook introduces new pedagogical approaches, emphasizes refined classroom practices, and presents a focused syllabus. These textbooks encourage students to explore more through experiential learning, undertake fieldwork, and focus on evidence-based understanding. The approach adopted for the Middle Stage (Grades 6 to 8) is to provide only a broad survey of Indian civilization from prehistoric times all the way to Independence.”

The revised textbook, released last month, includes a section on early resistance movements against British colonial rule before the 1857 revolt. It highlights events like the Sannyasi-Fakir rebellion, the Kol uprising, the Santhal rebellion, and several peasant revolts from the 1800s.

However, the new edition does not mention the four Anglo-Mysore wars or the resistance led by Tipu Sultan and Haidar Ali against the East India Company — topics that were previously included in the chapter on the expansion of British rule in India.