The Union education ministry has directed the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to implement an annual review system for textbooks, ensuring necessary updates are incorporated before printing new editions prior to the commencement of each academic session.
Although there has been no fixed mandate for yearly textbook reviews thus far, the NCERT has been regularly revising and updating content since 2017. Notable changes were implemented between 2022 and 2023 as part of a syllabus rationalization effort, aimed at alleviating student pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Senior officials at the Ministry emphasized the importance of annual textbook reviews, stressing the need for updated versions to be available for students at the start of each academic session.
They highlighted the dynamic nature of knowledge, citing examples such as the evolving field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which necessitates periodic updates to educational materials. The directive aims to ensure that NCERT textbooks remain relevant and up-to-date with current information.
According to Ministry officials, the implementation of this new review system will be gradual, with all textbooks aligned with the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) expected to be released for all classes by the 2026-27 academic session.
The ongoing revision process is in accordance with the NCF introduced last year as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Notably, this year, the NCERT has released updated textbooks aligned with the NCF for classes 3rd and 6th.
Major revisions have been made to textbooks this year, particularly in subjects such as History, Political Science, and Sociology. Changes include the removal of references to contentious topics like the Babri Masjid, Hindutva politics, and the 2002 Gujarat riots, while introducing new content such as the abrogation of Article 370 and revising terminology to refer to "Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK)" instead of "Azad Pakistan". Additionally, a paragraph defining the Left has been revised to emphasize preferences for "state regulation over free competition".
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