Ex-ABVP convenor, PM-EAC members in NCERT’s new English and Economics textbook committees

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) announced the creation of two expert panels to prepare senior‑secondary textbooks in English and Economics. The English committee includes former ABVP national media convenor Saket Bahuguna, former Shri Ram School head Trivikrama Kumari Jamwal, and is chaired by N. Nagaraju, vice‑chancellor of the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. The Economics panel is led by Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, and also features PM‑EAC member Shamika Ravi.

The English panel comprises 17 members and is tasked with completing the Class 11 textbook by 30 November 2026 and the Class 12 version by 30 September 2027, according to NCERT director Dinesh Saklani. The Economics panel, with 14 members, must submit its draft by 28 February 2027. Both committees have been instructed to embed cross‑cutting themes such as cultural rootedness, Indian knowledge systems, equity, inclusion, ICT, and environmental education, and their drafts will undergo a further NCERT review.

This move follows an earlier NCERT initiative to form a Political Science textbook committee that included several individuals linked to the RSS, prompting debate over ideological influence in school curricula. The inclusion of a former ABVP leader and senior economic advisers underscores the government’s active role in shaping educational content, a development watched closely by teachers, civil‑society groups, and policy analysts concerned about the neutrality and diversity of future textbooks.