The National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) has stated that students would begin learning theatre, music, drama, and visual arts in Class 8. This adjustment is consistent with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.

The move aims to provide students with a more holistic education that incorporates artistic and creative expression with traditional classroom instruction.

Students in Class 8 will start learning these courses in the school year 2025-2026, NDTV reports.

According to NCERT's post on its X (formerly known as Twitter) account, Art will be introduced as a compulsory subject, which means that regardless of whether students choose it, they must pass it to progress to the next class.

To accomplish this, NCERT has produced Kriti an art textbook that will be taught to Class 8 pupils beginning in the academic year 2025-2026.

In addition to Kriti, NCERT has released several additional textbooks for Classes 8 and 5. For Class 8, a revamped English textbook called Poorvi and a Hindi textbook called Malhar were released. Santoor and Veena have been released as Class 5 English and Hindi textbooks.

This move is part of the broader reforms envisioned in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises experiential learning, innovation, and the arts. NCERT's goal in introducing these courses early in secondary school is to promote well-rounded development in students.

Overall, this development represents a watershed point in Indian education policy, with equal emphasis on intellectual and creative development.