Class 10 students will no longer find chapters on the periodic table, democracy, and sources of energy in their government textbooks. These deletions are part of a “rationalization” effort aimed at reducing the workload on students.

Earlier this year, the removal of the theory of evolution from the Class 10 curriculum raised significant concerns. Recently released textbooks by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) have revealed further cuts, including the elimination of a chapter on the periodic table.

In addition to the periodic table, chapters on environmental sustainability, sources of energy, democracy, challenges to democracy, and political parties have been dropped from the science textbooks for Class 10 students.

Last year, other deletions were made, such as passages on “Evolution” from the Class 10 Science textbook. The revised textbooks, incorporating last year’s changes, are now available.

The topic of “Evolution,” including the Darwinian theory of natural selection, is still part of the curriculum in NCERT’s Class 12 Biology textbook. Other topics removed from science textbooks include chapters on Fibre and Fabrics in Classes 6, 7, and 8.

Notably, the chapter “Why do we fall ill” has been deleted from the Class 9 Science textbook, which ironically introduces students to viruses and airborne diseases like Covid-19, the very reasons cited for the rationalization exercise by NCERT.

NCERT states that reducing the workload on students is necessary, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The reasons listed for dropping these chapters from the curriculum include difficulty level, overlapping content, and content considered irrelevant in the present context.

However, students still have the option to learn about these subjects if they choose the relevant subjects in Class 11 and Class 12. In India, Class 10 is the last year in which science is taught as a compulsory subject. Only students who opt to study chemistry in the final two years before university will cover the periodic table.

Earlier this year, NCERT faced criticism for removing the theory of evolution from the Class 10 science textbook. Over 1,800 scientists and educators expressed concern through an open letter regarding the rationalization exercise.