New Delhi, April 15
“In my school, the class monitor changes every month. Is that what you call a power-sharing arrangement?” “I am anxious about my board exams. But democracy has so many exams. And millions of examiners!”
These are a few nuggets in the new political science textbook for Class X published by the NCERT. It attempts to explain various political concepts, including power sharing and democracy, by linking them to classroom situations.
In a shift from tradition, the book, which was brought out recently, has introduced two fictitious characters, Munni and Unni, who raise such questions to encourage students to think about
and analyse political concepts.
“This is an attempt to make the text more interesting. These questions will also provoke students to think over the subject and comprehend it properly,” P. Rajakumar, the head of NCERT’s publication department, said.
“The books have been prepared as per the national curriculum framework, which gives a broad guideline on the focus of the book. The framework recommends that the children’s lives at school be linked to their lives outside.”
The book has graphics, collages, photographs, posters and maps to make the text more lively and attractive. A glossary at the margin of the page tries to simplify certain unfamiliar words or expressions.
— PTI
