The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has decided to launch new textbooks for the academic year 2024-25. The focus is primarily on Classes 3 and 6, according to the Ministry of Education (MoE) . The NCERT aims to prioritize the introduction of updated textbooks for Class 3 and 6 in the upcoming academic year, while textbooks for Classes 1 and 2 have already been released, aligned with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and National Education Policy 2020. The creation of new textbooks follows a detailed process, commencing with the formulation of the initial content. Currently, the drafts for Class 3 textbooks, covering subjects such as English, Hindi, Urdu, Maths, and Environmental Studies (EVS), are undergoing thorough proofreading, editing, and evaluation by the NCERT.
Likewise, the drafts for Class 6 textbooks covering subjects such as Maths, Science, and languages are currently in the finalization phase.
The schedule for textbook development is quite demanding, as editors have been directed to expedite the proofreading process to ensure timely publication and distribution.
In order to meet the March deadline for publishing and distribution, there is a concentrated effort to accelerate the proofreading process. Editors are assigned the task of reviewing entire textbooks within a span of two to three days.
Despite the initial intention to release textbooks for all classes, it now appears unlikely that textbooks for all grades will be ready for the 2024-25 academic year.
The NCERT has suggested that the development of textbooks for Classes 6, 9, and 11 is on the horizon, followed by subsequent releases for Classes 7, 10, and 12 in the subsequent academic year.
As the development of Class 6 textbooks is in progress, there is some uncertainty about the organization of certain subjects.
In particular, there is a chance that History, Geography, and Political Science might be merged into a single Social Science textbook. However, a final decision on this matter is pending, awaiting the submission of drafts for evaluation.
The creation of new textbooks signifies the continuous evolution of educational content in India. With past editions sparking controversies and ongoing efforts to simplify syllabi and ease the workload on students, every update to NCERT textbooks has witnessed modifications aimed at enhancing educational quality and relevance. Despite these changes, the orientation of the forthcoming content in textbooks, particularly concerning history, political science, and sociology, is still unclear.
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