Raipur: Under the National Education Policy (NEP-2020), textbooks and curricula for classes 5, 7, and 8 in Chhattisgarh are set to be revised. Following the development of new books for classes 1 through 3 and class 6, work on this next phase has now commenced. To this end, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has released a detailed three-month schedule spanning from July 7 to September 30. While the new books will be based on the NCERT curriculum, they will also incorporate content related to Chhattisgarh’s culture, geography, lifestyle, tribal history, and local eminent personalities. Retired principals and subject matter experts have been entrusted with the responsibility for this entire project.
It is worth noting that there had previously been significant opposition regarding the removal of content related to Chhattisgarh. Subsequently, School Education Minister Gajendra Yadav directed SCERT to take a positive initiative on this matter during a high-level meeting. Instructions were issued to include Chhattisgarhi language, culture, customs, tourism, festivals, and historical and religious sites in the curriculum. Work on this is now underway. SCERT Director Rituraj Raghuvanshi has finalized a timetable for subject-specific workshops to be held from July 7 to September 30. During this period, tasks such as curriculum review, selection of subject matter, chapter writing, preparation of practice questions, graphic design, proofreading, layout, and final revisions will be completed. The final draft of the books will be presented to the Standing Committee on Education at the end of September. SCERT has previously prepared 23 textbooks (in both Hindi and English media) for classes 1, 2, 3, and 6; these have already received approval for implementation starting from the 2025-26 academic session. The State Curriculum Framework (SCF) was also developed as part of this initiative.
In this phase, textbooks for all subjects in classes 5 and 8 will be prepared. Additionally, special emphasis will be placed on Mathematics and Yoga education for class 7. The objective is to provide children with quality education aligned with the National Education Policy and rooted in their local environment. According to SCERT officials, the new books will prominently feature information regarding Chhattisgarh’s geography, folk culture, tribal history, and local eminent personalities. The expertise of retired principals and subject matter experts is being utilized to ensure the language of the books is simple and accessible to children.
