NCERT Advised to Review Books Every Session

Stay updated with NCERT's annual review of school textbooks. Ensure accurate and relevant study materials for every academic session.

on Apr 30, 2024

NCERT Advised to Review Books Every Session | Frontlist

The Union education ministry has asked the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to establish an annual system to review study materials for school students and make necessary changes before printing new textbooks ahead of each academic session, according to officials familiar with the matter.

NCERT produces new textbooks at the start of each academic session, but there is no set requirement to examine content. In June 2022, the council made some important revisions to the textbooks, rationalizing the syllabi of classes 6 to 12 to "reduce the content load" on pupils in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to senior education ministry officials, the council would now be required to examine the content every year. "The ministry informed the NCERT that books should be reviewed on an annual basis. They will shortly put that system in place. It is critical that when a student purchases a book ahead of the new session, it be an updated version of that book," said one of the administrators, who requested anonymity. "So far, there was no mandate of yearly review of the textbooks."

The official explained the logic for the change, saying: "NCERT books, once published, should not remain the same for many years.

They should be examined every year before publication, and any modifications or additions to the facts should be recorded in the books. For example, subjects like artificial intelligence are emerging."

The official stated that it will take at least two years to release textbooks for all classes in accordance with the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF). "It means that from academic session 2026-27, students across all classes will have new textbooks as per NCF."

NCERT is rewriting textbooks to align with the new NCF, which was announced last year as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. This year, the council issued new textbooks in accordance with NCF exclusively for classes 3 and 6.

Some of the modifications incorporated in NCERT textbooks produced after rationalisation in 2022 were controversial, particularly in history, political science, and sociology textbooks. The council removed references to the Babri Masjid, Hindutva politics, and the 2002 Gujarat riots, while adding references to Article 370 repeal, replacing the phrase "Azad Pakistan" with "Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK)", and revising a paragraph defining the Left (political ideology) as those who prefer "state regulation over free competition".