Revised NCERT textbooks likely to be introduced from 2024-25
New textbooks by the NCERT, revised in line with the national curriculum framework, are likely to be introduced in schools from the 2024-25 academic year, education ministry officials said on Monday
New textbooks by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), revised in line with the national curriculum framework, are likely to be introduced in schools from the 2024-25 academic year, officials of the education ministry said on Monday.
For the first time, the NCERT textbooks will be available in at least 22 languages, mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Constitution, they said, declining to be named.
These include Hindi, English, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Sindhi, Manipuri, Urdu, Malayalam, Odiya, and Kashmiri, among others.
A national steering committee led by former Indian Space Research Organisation chief K Kasturirangan is developing new frameworks in the areas of early childhood care and education, school education, teacher education, and adult education as a part of the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020. NCERT textbooks will be revised according to these frameworks.
The ministry has launched the framework for early childhood care and foundational learning in October and is likely to release revised textbooks for up to class 2 by the end of this month, officials said.
“We will attempt to come up with textbooks for all classes from next academic year even though it is a very tall task,” a ministry official said.
For the first time, the ministry is also planning to introduce electronic versions of the textbooks. “Covid-19 has taught us the need of reaching out to students digitally and creating an appetite for digital learning. This time, we will make sure that they are also put on digital platforms like Diksha (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing),” the official said.
The ministry may take help from the All India Council for Technical Education to translate the textbooks in various languages.“Also different State Councils of Educational Research & Training will be roped in for the translation work,” another ministry official said.
India’s technical education overseer introduced programmes in regional languages in 2021.
The ministry has also asked NCERT to avoid developing static textbooks. “We are trying to create a framework that ensures that textbooks get updated on a regular basis,” the first official said. “Besides, the new textbooks will also have questions and exercises to encourage competency based learning.”
