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NCERT New Class 8 Book 2026: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Monday released a new social science textbook for Class 8. The new textbook presents historical events such as the 1947 Partition of India, the reasons for independence, Direct Action Day, and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre from a fresh perspective.
What Changes on Partition?
The new Class 8 social science textbook mentions that Mahatma Gandhi and most Congress leaders were against the partition of the country, but eventually accepted it as "the only way forward." It also clarifies that a section of Indian Muslims was also not in favour of partition.
While the old book only stated that the Congress and the Muslim League could not reach an agreement and partition became almost inevitable, the new book clearly states that the Congress leadership accepted partition.
Changed Interpretation of the Reasons for Independence
NCERT explains in a new book that historians have debated why Britain left India. Previously, it was believed that this was primarily the result of Gandhi's policy of nonviolence and the strategies of the Congress, but it is now recognized that many other factors were equally important, including mass movements and uprisings, the efforts of revolutionaries, mutinies in the Royal Indian Air Force and Royal Indian Navy, Britain's weakened position after World War II, and the global decline of colonialism.
What is special in the chapter 'India's Long Road to Independence'?
The chapter titled 'India's Long Road to Independence' covers the entire journey of independence from the Revolt of 1857 to 1947. It gives a detailed account of the Partition of Bengal, the Independence Movement and the Partition of India.
Coverage of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre & Direct Action Day:
Regarding the brutal Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919, it states that to this day, the British government has not apologised for the brutal killing of Sikhs gathered there for the Baisakhi festival and a peaceful protest meeting. The book describes the incident as "a great shame in British history," which was not mentioned in the earlier version.
The new book details the "Direct Action Day" observed by the Muslim League in 1946. According to the book, the communal violence that erupted in Calcutta claimed thousands of lives.
The new book also explains that inflammatory speeches and pamphlets fueled the violence, creating a deep sense of fear between Hindu and Muslim communities and virtually paving the way for Partition. The earlier book only briefly mentioned this event and mentioned only thousands of deaths in the riots.
Paika Rebellion in the New NCERT book:
The new book also includes the Paika Rebellion, a rebellion waged by Odisha's traditional peasant militia in the 1800s. When the first book was released last year, it faced criticism for excluding some of the rebellions. Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called the omission of the Paika Rebellion a "great insult." The new book has now included the rebellion.
NCERT is developing new textbooks in line with the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework 2023. So far, textbooks for classes 1 to 8 have been developed.