The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has reconstituted its team for preparing political science textbooks for Classes XI and XII. The new 20-member Textbook Development Team includes academics, schoolteachers and NCERT faculty. At least four members have past or present links with organisations associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The panel is headed by political analyst and academic Sandeep Shastri, who is vice-president of Nitte (Deemed to be University). NCERT has set separate deadlines for completing the two textbooks. The Class XI textbook must be finalised by November 30, 2026. The Class XII textbook is scheduled for completion by July 30, 2027.

The four members with RSS or BJP-linked associations include JNU professor Vandana Mishra. She previously served as the national secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Another member, educationist Yadunath Deshpande, has held organisational positions in the ABVP. He has also described himself professionally as a BJP political consultant.

The panel also includes Prashant Divekar of Pune-based Jnana Prabodhini. JNU academic Ravi Rameshchandra Shukla is another member with an association linked to the RSS ecosystem. Shukla has been associated with the editorial board of a journal published by the Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership, which is linked to the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini.

The newly formed team also has members from several prominent educational institutions. These include Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, National Law University Delhi, Jindal Global Law School, Pondicherry University and Utkal University. JNU's Prakash Kandpal and Ravi Shukla, Needhi Gupta from National Law University Delhi, Chetan Singhai of Chanakya University, Delhi University's Sukanshika Vatsa and Satish Kumar from IGNOU are among those included in the panel.

NCERT said the Textbook Development Team has been reconstituted to "further strengthen and streamline" the preparation of the two textbooks. The council issued a notification on August 14 announcing the new team and its responsibilities.

The notification indicated that the panel would work within the framework of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2023. The team will also receive guidance from curricular groups working on social science, languages, Indian Knowledge Systems, environmental education and pedagogy.

The textbooks will undergo additional reviews during the preparation process. These reviews will cover areas such as cultural rootedness, inclusion, educational technology, assessment and Indian Knowledge Systems. The process is intended to ensure that the new teaching-learning material follows the broader curriculum framework.

The reconstitution comes as NCERT continues to revise school textbooks under the new curriculum framework. The newly appointed team will compile the political science books for Classes XI and XII. This will go through the required review and approval process before publication.

Once the textbooks and related teaching-learning material are completed, NCERT will approve, publish and distribute them. The panel's work will therefore determine the content and structure of the political science textbooks that students in Classes XI and XII will use in the coming academic years.