ABSTRACT
This chapter narrates and discusses the process whereby a new subject, Social and Political Life (SPL), has been introduced at the upper-middle level of school education in India. SPL replaces ‘civics’, which was introduced by the British colonial administration towards the end of the nineteenth century to educate the young about the roles and responsibilities of adult citizens and to familiarize them with the various institutions of governance. Civics continued in independent India as a school subject until 2005, when a major curriculum renewal exercise was undertaken at the national level. The chapter starts by discussing the core components of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF-2005) (NCERT, 2006a). It describes the process whereby the NCF and the syllabi and textbooks based on it were developed. The chapter analyses in detail the process of content development used for SPL textbooks. For the purpose of analysis, two themes, namely gender and caste, have been selected out of the several areas that constitute the content of the textbooks. By examining the presentation of these two themes in the new textbooks, the chapter illuminates the perspective from which the NCF and SPL view citizenship education. By analysing the treatment of these themes in the new textbooks, the chapter illuminates the perspective from which NCF-2005 and SPL textbooks view citizenship education. The analysis is also informed by the author’s formal status as a member of the textbook development committee that developed SPL textbooks. The author attempts to reflect objectively on the experience of participating in the textbook development process for the middle grades.
