NEW DELHI: The new NCERT textbooks, revised in accordance with the new National Education Policy (NEP), are likely to be introduced in schools from the 2024-25 academic session, senior education ministry officials said on Monday. The textbooks will be developed as per the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday held a high-level meeting to discuss a faster roll-out of textbooks based on NEP 2020. The textbooks will be developed in 22 languages included in
the VIIIth schedule of the Constitution. This will be in consonance with the NEP perspective of imparting multilingual education.
Officials said developing textbooks on the lines of NEP 2020 is a “tall task but we are aiming for that” and “work is on”. All the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks, developed as per the revised NCF, will also be available in digital format.
Officials said Covid-19 has proved that there is an appetite for digital learning. Noting that textbooks should not be “static”, the official said an institutional framework will be developed to ensure that the textbooks are updated on a regular basis. Officials said all states and Union territories have first prepared their state curriculum framework (SCFs) passing through the process of district-level consultations, mobile app survey, and development of position papers by the State Focus Groups in 25 areas or themes identified as per the NEP 2020.
“Drawing insights from these position papers and draft SCFs, four NCFs are being prepared. Draft NCFs will be translated in 22 languages given in the eighth schedule of the Constitution and shared with the states and UTs for their comments. Taking care of their comments, the NCFs will be given final shape and will be placed before the Ministry of Education for the approval processes,” he said.
The NEP 2020 envisages a 5+3+3+4 curriculum pedagogical structure. According to the new school education system outlined in NEP 2020, children will spend five years in the foundational stage, three years each in the preparatory and middle stages, and four years in the secondary stage.
The Centre had in 2020 started the process to revise school textbooks by appointing former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Kasturirangan as the head of a 12-member steering committee responsible for developing a new National Curriculum Framework (NCF).
Textbooks should not be ‘static’
All the NCERT textbooks, developed as per the revised NCF, will also be available in digital format. Officials said Covid-19 has proved that there is an appetite for digital learning. Noting that textbooks should not be “static”, the official said.