Overview
- The NCERT issued a notification on Aug. 14 reconstituting a Textbook Development Team led by Prof. Sandeep Shastri and set deadlines for the Class 11 book by Nov. 30, 2026 and the Class 12 book by July 30, 2027.
- NCERT named a 20‑member panel of academics, schoolteachers and NCERT staff to prepare syllabi and textbooks under the NCF‑SE 2023 guidance.
- Multiple outlets report at least four panel members have documented past links to the RSS, ABVP or BJP, including Yadunath Deshpande, Prashant Divekar, Vandana Mishra and Ravi Rameshchandra Shukla.
- Reporting flagged inconsistencies in the published panel size (some outlets cited 16 members) and noted that Yadunath Deshpande’s LinkedIn entry became inaccessible after the membership list was publicised.
- Opposition parties and student groups have demanded disclosure of selection criteria and independent review or reconstitution of the team while NCERT says draft chapters will be subject to periodic oversight by its Textbook Core Group, NSTC and NOC.