Students will learn about SIR in the new NCERT book; explanations of socialism, secularism, and democracy have been removed.

References explaining democracy, secularism, and socialism have been removed from the Class 9 NCERT Social Science textbook, while the Emergency and SIR have been introduced. Find out what other changes have been made here.

Several major changes have been introduced in the new Class 9 NCERT textbook. Students will now learn about SIR in the context of the electoral process. Meanwhile, certain explanations regarding socialism, secularism, and democracy—previously included in the book—will no longer appear in the same form. New concepts have been incorporated to help students understand the country’s Constitution and democratic system in a fresh way. These changes are sparking debate in both educational and political circles.

Shift in approach to explaining the Constitution

The Constitution is explained in a new way in this book, moving away from the previous method. Greater emphasis is placed on how the Constitution was drafted, the work of the Constituent Assembly, and the functioning of the country’s democratic institutions. Topics such as equality, liberty, rights, and responsibilities have also been included. In earlier textbooks, the Preamble to the Constitution was taught in detail, with explanations of the specific words used; however, the new book does not include the Preamble directly. Similarly, terms like socialism and secularism are not presented as they were before.

Emergency included in Class 9 for the first time.

The 1975 Emergency has been included in this Class 9 textbook for the first time. It describes the impact on the country’s democratic system at the time and discusses various decisions made during that period. It serves as a case study to illustrate the challenges faced by democracy.

What is SIR and why was it added to the book?

In addition to the responsibilities of the Election Commission, the new book explains “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR). It details the process of updating and maintaining the accuracy of the electoral roll (voter list). Instead of four separate subjects, a single integrated book covering history, geography, political science, and economics has been created this time. The objective is to provide students with a unified understanding of these subjects rather than viewing them in isolation.

What is the Education Minister’s perspective?

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that students should be knowledgeable about the country’s history and democracy. He believes that studying such subjects will foster a better understanding of the nation among the coming generations.