New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is attempting to retrieve 38 copies of its now-withdrawn Class 8 Social Science Part 2 textbook that were sold, sources in the Education Ministry said on Wednesday.
Of the 2.25 lakh copies printed, only 38 were sold, while 2,24,962 remained in inventory. All unsold copies have been recalled to the NCERT warehouse, and efforts are underway to trace and recover the copies already sold.
The move comes a day after NCERT halted distribution of the textbook following controversy over content in a chapter on the judiciary. The book, titled Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol II, was released on February 24 under the new curriculum framework.
In an official statement, NCERT acknowledged that “certain inappropriate textual material and errors of judgement” had inadvertently appeared in Chapter 4, “The Role of Judiciary in our Society.” The council said it decided to withdraw the textbook and undertake a comprehensive review and rewriting of the chapter.
The controversy erupted after parts of the chapter referred to corruption in the judiciary and highlighted case backlogs, drawing sharp reactions. The Supreme Court of India took strong exception to the references, prompting NCERT to stop further circulation of the book.
The Class 8 Social Science textbook is part of the ongoing revision of school textbooks under the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework. NCERT has been rolling out revised books in phases with changes in content, structure and thematic approach.
Sources said a revised version of the chapter will be issued after review and vetting, and fresh copies will be printed accordingly.