Latest Update: NCERT Launches New Competency-Based Textbooks for Grades 4, 5, 7, & 8

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released new competency-based textbooks for Grades 4, 5, 7, and 8. These textbooks have been developed in accordance with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. This initiative is part of the ongoing implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to revolutionize the educational landscape in India.

Previous Success

Until now, NCERT has successfully introduced textbooks for Grades 1, 2, 3, and 6. The new textbooks for Grades 4, 5, 7, and 8 will be implemented in the upcoming academic session of 2025-26. This release will complete the teaching-learning material (TLM) for the Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle stages of school education.

Bridge Programmes for Smooth Transitions

To ensure a smooth transition to the new curricular and pedagogical perspectives, NCERT is also providing a Bridge Programme (BP) for Grades 5 and 8. This program will help students adapt to the updated curriculum, which includes subject areas such as Arts, Physical Education and Well-being (PE&WB), Vocational Education (VE), and ‘The World Around Us’ (TWAU).

Timeline for Updated NCERT Textbook Release

The release timeline for the new teaching-learning material is as follows:

• Grade 4: Hindi, English, and Urdu textbooks will be available by 28th March, while Maths, TWAU, and Arts will be available by 10th April.
• Grade 5: All subjects will be available by 15th June.
• Grade 7: Hindi, English, Urdu, and Maths textbooks will be available by 28th March, while Science and Social Science will be available by 20th April.
• Grade 8: All subjects will be available by 20th June.
• BP Grade 5: All subjects will be available by 25th March.
• BP Grade 8: All subjects will be available by 25th March.
• BP Grade 6: Already available online.

Capacity Building Programme

NCERT is also planning to conduct an online Capacity-Building Programme for the Key Resource Persons of CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), KVS (Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan), and NVS (Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti) starting from 25 March 2025. This programme will cover the new textbooks and bridge programmes. NCERT will share detailed schedules shortly.

Dissemination and Collaboration

In collaboration with KVS and NVS, CBSE is expected to proactively disseminate this information to all stakeholders, including heads, teachers, and parents of all CBSE-affiliated schools. The objective is to ensure that only the newly developed teaching-learning materials are procured for the grades.

The joint efforts of NCERT, CBSE, KVS, and NVS, under the guidance of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoS&L), the National Syllabus and Teaching-learning Material Committee (NSTC), and the National Curriculum Framework Oversight Committee (NOC), are crucial to achieving the goals of NEP 2020 for school education.

We invite you to share your thoughts on these upcoming changes.