New Delhi: Teaching about riots in schools is not good and can create violent and depressed citizens, NCERT chief has said in the context of revision of portions related to Gujarat riots and Babri Masjid demolition from school books.

Speaking to news agency PTI, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said changes in textbooks are part of annual revisions and should not be made a matter of hue and cry. When asked about changes in NCERT books regarding the Gujarat riots or the Babri Masjid demolition, he said, "Why should we teach about riots in school textbooks? We want to create positive citizens, not violent and depressed individuals."

There is unnecessary uproar: NCERT Chief

He said, 'Should we teach our students in such a way that they become aggressive, create hatred in society or become victims of hatred? Is this the purpose of education? Should we teach such young children about riots? When they grow up, they will be able to learn about it, but why school textbooks? Let them understand when they grow up what happened and why, the uproar about the changes is irrelevant.'

The NCERT's comments come at a time when new books have come out with several revisions. The revised book of political science for Class 12 does not mention the Babri Masjid but refers to it as a "three-domed structure". Also, the Ayodhya section has been reduced from four to two pages and its details have been removed from the previous edition.

'The aim of education is not to create violence'

Dinesh Saklani said that we want to create positive citizens and this is the aim of our textbooks. We cannot put everything in them. The aim of our education is not to create depressed or violent citizens. Hate and violence are not subjects of teaching. Our textbooks should not focus on them. He indicated that there would not have been so much uproar even about the 1984 riots not being in the books.