India’s school curriculum is undergoing a major restructuring as the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) aligns syllabi, textbooks, teaching methods and assessment practices with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Ministry of Education has stated that the process is being implemented through the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) 2022 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, which together provide the foundation for defining curricular goals, competencies, learning outcomes, syllabi, textbooks, pedagogy and assessment across different stages of school education.
Curriculum Reform Built on Extensive Public Consultation
The development of the new National Curriculum Frameworks involved one of the largest education consultation exercises undertaken in the country. A National Steering Committee adopted a bottom-up approach to gather views from teachers, students, parents, educationists, scholars, subject experts, educational institutions, Anganwadi personnel, neo-literates and non-literates across States and Union Territories.
According to the government, more than 13 lakh citizens, including students and parents, participated at the national level through a citizen-centric mobile application survey. Another 1.5 lakh teachers, parents, students and educationists participated through similar consultations conducted at the State level.
More than 1,550 district-level consultations across 32 States and Union Territories were also organised as part of the curriculum-development exercise.
Inputs were further obtained from 35 groups of institutions, while around 8,000 stakeholders participated in 12 consultations involving universities and civil society organisations.
The consultation process also generated more than 600 position papers covering 25 themes, prepared by Focus Groups constituted by States and Union Territories involving over 4,000 experts. At the national level, NCERT constituted expert groups comprising more than 175 members, which prepared another 25 papers dealing with major aspects of school education.
These recommendations and submissions were examined before being incorporated into the new curriculum frameworks.
The NCF for the Foundational Stage was released on October 20, 2022, followed by the National Curriculum Framework for School Education on August 23, 2023.
New Textbooks and Syllabi for Grades 1–9
Following the adoption of the curriculum frameworks, NCERT constituted the National Syllabus and Teaching-Learning Material Committee (NSTC) to develop new educational resources.
Under the committee, 13 Curricular Area Groups (CAGs) as well as Textbook Development Teams have been established for different subjects and grades.
NCERT has so far introduced new syllabi and textbooks for Grades 1 to 9 with the support of the NSTC.
For younger children, NCERT has also developed Jaadui Pitara and e-Jaadui Pitara, collections of learning resources designed for Balvatika 1, Balvatika 2 and Balvatika 3.
These materials form part of the broader effort under NEP 2020 to strengthen foundational learning while making education more activity-based, competency-oriented and appropriate to the developmental stage of children.
Multiple Reviews Before Textbooks Reach Students
The preparation of new textbooks involves detailed mapping of curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes identified under the new curriculum framework.
Draft textbooks and teaching-learning materials are subjected to several rounds of academic, pedagogical, linguistic and sensitivity reviews before publication.
The review process evaluates factors such as academic accuracy, age appropriateness, inclusivity, constitutional values, gender sensitivity, cultural and linguistic relevance and pedagogical suitability.
The materials are also examined to ensure that they remain consistent with NEP 2020, NCF-FS 2022 and NCF-SE 2023.
NCERT has additionally developed Learning Outcome Documents and Mandate Documents, which serve as guidelines for preparing syllabi and textbooks under the new educational framework.
Oversight Mechanism for New NCERT Material
Apart from the NSTC, NCERT has established a National Curriculum Framework Oversight Committee (NOC) to examine whether the principles and objectives laid down in the National Curriculum Framework are being properly reflected in textbooks and other teaching-learning materials.
The NSTC, NOC and Curricular Area Groups include scholars, subject specialists, teacher educators, NCERT faculty members, representatives of State Councils of Educational Research and Training, renowned sportspersons, artists and other experts.
Textbook Development Teams similarly include teachers, scholars, subject specialists and educational professionals from NCERT and SCERTs.
This layered institutional structure is intended to ensure that curriculum reform is not limited merely to rewriting textbooks but extends to the broader philosophy of classroom learning, assessment and competency development.
NCERT Textbooks to Continue Receiving Annual Updates
NCERT has also clarified that textbooks are reviewed during their regular reprinting cycles. Feedback received from students, teachers and other stakeholders can be incorporated into subsequent editions without necessarily altering the basic structure of the books.
Experts may also be consulted whenever required before such changes are finalised.
The continuing review mechanism is intended to allow textbooks to remain academically current and responsive to feedback while preserving consistency with the national curriculum framework.
The wider exercise represents a gradual transition from a largely content-driven school system towards the competency-based, experiential and multidisciplinary approach envisioned under NEP 2020. As new textbooks move progressively through the remaining grades, the curriculum reform is expected to reshape not only what students study but also how subjects are taught, understood and assessed across Indian schools.
The information was provided by Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on August 10, 2026.
Source: PIB: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2297094®=48&lang=1
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