New Delhi: The three-member panel of historians going into the issue of "communalisation and inadequacies" of history textbooks today (June 24, 2004) recommended "discontinuation" of NCERT history textbooks.

It also suggested a series of "reading materials" for class six to 12 from this academic session.

"We found it not advisable to continue (with the NCERT textbooks). We have more or less recommended that it cannot be continued for all classes after 2000," Prof S Settar, a distinguished historian on ancient India, told reporters after submitting the report to the Human Resource Development Ministry. "There are good books available in the markets published not only by individuals but also institutions. There are books available which conform to the NCERT syllabus", he said.

He said the panel would meet again on July five to suggest a list of "reading materials" and a model "question bank" by the first week of August.

Besides Settar, other members of the panel are J S Grewal, former Vice Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University and Barun De, an expert on modern India.