School is not merely a site that produces future doctors, engineers, or professors. The making of future citizens also begins at schools. Young minds first develop their preliminary understanding of the state, society, and public institutions within the classroom. It is therefore not at all surprising that the inclusion of judicial corruption in the Class VIII textbook of the NCERT has sparked a nationwide debate.

The controversy has actually raised a fundamental question: what kind of understanding should a democratic state impart to children about its own institutions? If corruption exists within these institutions, how should it be represented in school textbooks? And, more importantly, is it necessary at all to make adolescent learners aware of such corruption? At first glance, one might argue that in a democracy no institution is above criticism, and therefore there is nothing inherently wrong in introducing discussions of judicial corruption in a middle-school textbook.

Indeed, the health of a democracy depends on whether citizens are able to question and critique public institutions. Democratic institutions are accountable to the people, and such accountability ensures their responsibility. If corruption exists within the judicial system, citizens unquestionably have the right to criticise it. The real question, however, is whether presenting judicial corruption to school students through textbooks is necessary. The straightforward answer, arguably, is no.

There is little reason to assume that schools are politically neutral or innocent spaces. The French philosopher Louis Althusser famously described schools as ‘Ideological State Apparatuses.’ Such institutions function not through coercion but through consent, shaping children’s understanding of social values, norms, and morality. Unlike the police or the military, schools do not exercise overt repression; their ideological work therefore remains less visible. Yet, precisely through this silent functioning, schools participate in producing citizens who may internalise obedience to authority rather than cultivate a critical engagement with power.

Because schools can shape future citizens’ perceptions without the use of force, every ruling regime has historically sought to influence school curricula. Curriculum-making, in this sense, is inevitably political. Indeed, school curricula play an active role in constructing the ideological relationship between citizens and the state. People in power often decide what should be taught, how subjects should be presented, what should be left out, and how the past should be rewritten. Changes to NCERT textbooks have produced a lot of criticism in recent years.

Omission of the 2002 Gujarat riots, shortening of Mughal history, and dilution of the discussion on caste-based discrimination, have b e en severely criticize d by academicians. Many observers have also argued that the ruling political party is propagating its ideological beliefs through NCERT textbooks. Given this context, one might contend that the inclusion of criticism of a state institution such as the judiciary should be welcomed. If school textbooks can be politicised in matters relating to the Gujarat riots or Mughal history, why should judicial corruption be treated as untouchable? Introducing such discussions early, some may argue, could make future citizens more aware of the limitations and failures of India’s democratic institutions.

In fact, criticism of the Judiciary is nothing new in India. The role of the Judiciary during the emergency has been questioned. Charges of judicial misconduct, sexual harassment and corruption have also been brought against a few judges. But the question is should teens be exposed to all these controversies? It is important to remember that courts don’t just have power because of the Constitution or because they can force people to do things. In the end, the courts depend on the public’s trust. People accept the power of the courts because they think that even if justice isn’t perfect, it is still fair. This shared trust is what makes the judicial system legitimate.

Inclusion of judicial corruption in school books could damage the foundational trust that future citizens need to have in democratic institutions. Such exposure at an early age may foster skepticism towards courts before students acquire the intellectual maturity necessary to understand how the Judiciary functions and on what grounds it should be critiqued. If references to judicial corruption had appeared in the undergraduate curriculum, there would not have been such a hue and cry.

Undergraduate students possess a far more mature level of analytical ability and contextual understanding. Having attained the right to vote, these students also hold the democratic power to decide, through electoral processes, who will govern the country. At this stage, students also develop a reasonably sound grasp of certain foundational principles of democracy – such as the rule of law, separation of powers, and constitutional morality. But such alertness is rare among the students of Class VIII.

If they are exposed to institutional corruption without enough background information, they might end up becoming cynical citizens. They might lose faith in public institutions and trust in democracy. This would not at all be good for the health of our state. Thus, the crux of the matter is this: when students have not yet developed the intellectual maturity required to distinguish between institutional criticism and antiinstitutional sentiment, presenting judicial corruption to them through textbooks may foster a deep sense of distrust towards democracy in the minds of these future citizens. It must be remembered teaching students that institutions are accountable is not the same as instilling the belief that institutions are inherently corrupt. The former strengthens democracy; the latter weakens its very moral foundation.

(The writer is Professor, Department of English and Culture Studies and Director, Centre for Australian Studies, The University of Burdwan.)

A day before SC hearing, NCERT issues public apology over Class 8 textbook chapter on judiciary

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Tuesday tendered an unconditional and unqualified public apology over the controversial chapter referring to corruption in the judiciary in its now-withdrawn Class 8 Social Science textbook.

Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP over NCERT row, says ‘false apology eventually exposes the guilty’

Hitting out at the BJP over the NCERT textbook controversy related to the chapter on corruption in the judiciary, Samajwadi Party National President Akhilesh Yadav said that just as “a cough exposes a thief, a false apology exposes a criminal.”

SC bans Class 8 NCERT book with controversial chapter on judiciary, orders seizure of physical and digital copies

The Supreme Court today issued a show cause notice to the NCERT director and the school education secretary to explain why action should not be taken over the publication of the Class 8 Social Science book with the controversial chapter on corruption in the judiciary.

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