The Ministry of Education (MoE) has requested the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to review its textbooks and make updates every year, states a report by PTI. Currently, there is no set mandate regarding the frequency of updates for NCERT textbooks.
However, the NCERT has been occasionally revising and updating content since 2017.
There were claims of agenda-driven editing about a rationalisation exercise that had been carried out due to the closure of schools during the pandemic, states PTI.
"In the fast-changing world of today, it is important that the textbooks are absolutely updated. The NCERT has been asked to conduct a review on a yearly basis and update them ahead of the beginning of the new academic session. They are soon going to put a system in place," a source told PTI.
"NCERT books once published should not remain the same for many years. They should be reviewed every year before printing and if any changes have to be made or some new facts have to be added, they should be included in the books. For instance, topics like Artificial Intelligence are very evolving," the source added.
Currently, the NCERT is in the process of developing textbooks according to the New Curriculum Framework (NCF) announced last year.
"The textbooks as per the new curriculum will be ready for all classes by 2026. it will take at least two years for all textbooks to be released for all classes in line with the new NCF," the source added.
This year, the NCERT has introduced new textbooks for Classes III and VI.
