New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has aligned school education curriculum, syllabi and textbooks with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 through the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) 2022 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.

The two curriculum frameworks provide the foundation for developing stage-wise and subject-wise curricular goals, competencies, learning outcomes, syllabi, textbooks, teaching methods and assessment practices.

The development of the frameworks followed a bottom-up consultation process, with inputs collected from teachers, students, parents, educationists, subject experts, scholars, Anganwadi personnel and other stakeholders across states and Union Territories.

More Than 13 Lakh Students and Parents Participated in Survey

According to information provided by Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on August 10, more than 13 lakh students and parents participated in a national-level mobile app survey conducted as part of the curriculum development process.

More than 1.5 lakh teachers, parents, students and educationists also participated through a state-level mobile app survey. In addition, over 1,550 district-level consultations were conducted across 32 States and Union Territories.

Inputs were also received from 35 groups of institutions and around 8,000 stakeholders who participated in 12 consultations involving universities and civil society groups.

More than 600 position papers covering 25 relevant themes were prepared by focus groups constituted by States and Union Territories. These groups included more than 4,000 experts.

NCERT also constituted national focus groups comprising more than 175 members, which prepared 25 position papers as part of the curriculum development exercise.

NCERT Develops New Syllabi and Textbooks

Following the development of the NCFs, NCERT constituted the National Syllabus and Teaching-Learning Material Committee (NSTC) to translate the framework recommendations into curriculum and learning resources.

Under the NSTC, 13 Curricular Area Groups (CAGs) and Textbook Development Teams (TDTs) were established for different subjects and grades.

The NSTC has been entrusted with developing teaching-learning materials, including textbooks. NCERT also constituted the National Curriculum Framework Oversight Committee (NOC) to oversee the implementation of the NCF perspective while developing new teaching-learning materials.

With the support of the NSTC, NCERT has developed new syllabi and textbooks for Grades 1 to 9.

The council has also developed learning resources such as Jaadui Pitara and e-Jaadui Pitara for children studying in Balvatika 1, 2 and 3.

NCERT Textbooks Undergo Multiple Reviews

NCERT's new teaching-learning materials and textbooks are developed after detailed mapping of curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes.

According to the Education Ministry, textbook drafts undergo multiple rounds of academic, pedagogical, language and sensitivity reviews before finalisation.

The review process examines several aspects, including:

• Academic accuracy

• Age appropriateness

• Inclusivity

• Constitutional values

• Gender sensitivity

• Cultural and linguistic relevance

• Pedagogical suitability

• Alignment with NEP 2020

The minister further stated that NCERT updates its textbooks during the annual reprinting process based on relevant feedback received from students, teachers and other stakeholders.

The curriculum and textbook development exercise is part of the broader implementation of NEP 2020, with the new frameworks aimed at making school education more competency-based, learner-centric and aligned with the changing educational requirements.