CBSE: Skill education mandatory for Classes 6-8

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made a major change to the middle school programme. From this academic year on, skill education has become mandatory for students in Classes VI to VIII. Under the new initiative, all CBSE-affiliated schools must integrate the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) ‘Skill Bodh’ textbooks, available in both print and digital formats. The move aims to shift learning beyond rote memorisation and textbooks and embed practical, skill-based learning as an integral part of every student’s school experience.

The curriculum pivots around meaningful hands-on projects grouped into three broad areas: engaging with living beings, such as caring for plants and animals; working with machines and materials, including basic mechanical or operational tasks; and human services tasks that involve community service and social engagement.

Each year, every student will undertake three projects, totalling nine by the end of Class VIII. Collectively, the programme is designed to deliver around 270 hours of experiential learning over three years. To implement this effort effectively, schools are required to restructure their timetables, dedicating roughly 110 hours (about 160 class periods) annually to skill education. Concretely, it translates to scheduling at least two consecutive periods dedicated to skill-building every week. Schools may choose three projects annually from a suggested list of six, depending on local resources and context.

Teachers are central to the success of this initiative. CBSE, along with NCERT and the PSSCIVE programme, will organise training sessions to equip educators with the necessary skills to guide and mentor students through project-based learning. 

Assessment of skill education diverges from traditional exams. The evaluation framework allocates marks as follows: 10% for a written exam, 30% for viva or presentations, 30% based on activity-book submissions, 10% on the student’s project portfolio, and the remaining 20% through teacher observation of classroom engagement.