CBSE Schools Await New NCERT Class 9 Books as Academic Session Begins CBSE schools in India are facing uncertainty as the new academic session starts on April 1, with the much-anticipated NCERT Class 9 textbooks still not available. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) confirmed that the revised books, aligned with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, are still in development. Himanshu Gupta, NCERT secretary, stated that the new textbooks for Grade 9 will be made available for the 2026-27 academic session. However, no specific timeline was provided, leaving schools and parents in a dilemma. School principals have expressed frustration over the delay, with one stating, “As usual, late. We are commencing classes on April 1 and we don’t have the books with us.” Another principal criticized the last-minute approach, saying, “These things should be planned a year in advance so that students get new books well before the session begins. If NCERT knew it’s playing it so close to the finish line, they should have postponed it by another year.” The NCERT advisory clarified that draft syllabi for Class 9 have been uploaded to its official website for reference and feedback. It also instructed teachers to ensure students’ prerequisite learning is addressed before starting the new syllabus. The Class 9 books are part of a phased rollout of textbooks following the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. NCERT noted that new books for Classes 1 to 8, developed in line with NCF-SE 2023, are already available in print and digital formats. For Classes 10 and 11, the rollout is scheduled for the 2027-28 academic session.#cbse #ncert #himanshu_gupta #national_education_policy #national_curriculum_framework
