Union minister reviews progress on delayed Class 6 textbooks 

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently reviewed the progress of developing school textbooks aligned with the New Curriculum Framework (NCF). This meeting occurred amidst delays in the release of Class 6 textbooks. The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had announced that new textbooks for Classes 3 and 6 would be introduced in the 2024-25 academic session.

“For the academic year 2024-25, new and engaging textbooks will be introduced in Classes 3 and 6. The textbook development work is in the final phase and nine textbooks for Grades 3 and 6 are already available. The remaining eight will be available very soon,” a senior Ministry of Education (MOE) official stated.

The NCERT initially aimed to release the new textbooks based on the NCF 2023 only for Classes 3 and 6 this year. While textbooks for Class 3 are already available, those for Class 6 have faced delays. Recently, the NCERT released new English and Hindi textbooks for Class 6, but the academic session is already underway. Textbooks for subjects like social science, science, and mathematics remain unfinished, prompting schools to use a bridge program in the interim.

“The NEP 2020 aims at providing economically-priced, high-quality textbooks to make learning joyful and stress-free for better learning outcomes. The NCERT is constructing new textbooks for Classes 1 to 12 to fully realise the provisions of the National Education Policy,” the official added.

The minister conducted a detailed review of the NCERT textbook development process alongside the school education secretary, NCERT director, and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chairman. The meeting underscored the ongoing efforts to ensure timely and high-quality educational resources in line with the NEP 2020’s vision.