New NCERT textbooks revised in accordance with the new National Education Policy (NEP) are likely to be introduced in schools from 2024-25 academic session, Education Ministry officials said on Monday.
The textbooks will be developed in accordance with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).“
The new textbooks are likely to be introduced from 2024-25 academic session. It is a tall task but we are aiming for that. The textbooks will be revised as per the new NCF, work on which is already going on. Developing textbooks is a laborius task,” a senior MoE official told PTO.
All the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks developed as per the revised NCF will also be available in digital format.
“Since COVID-19 has taught us that there is an appetite for digital learning, all the new textbooks will simultaneously be made available digitally so anybody can download them,” he added.
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
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).
The four NCFs being prepared are — NCF for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCFECCE), NCF for School Education (NCFSE), NCF for Teacher Education (NCFTE), NCF for Adult Education (NCFAE).
Detailing the process, the senior official said that all states and Union Territories have first prepared their State Curriculum Frameworks (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 including ECCE, Teacher Education and Adult Education.