Class 6 textbooks to be available within this month: NCERT amid growing criticism

New Delhi (India), July 10 The NCERT announced on Wednesday that class 6 textbooks will be available within this month while denying reports that new textbooks would take another two months to reach students.
In a post on X, the NCERT, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education responsible for developing and distributing educational materials, clarified that it has made available a month-long bridge programme in all 10 subject areas for Grade 6 to a smooth transition for both teachers and students from old to the new curriculum,
The clarification came amid a report claiming confusion in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools over the unavailability of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks.
The NCERT initially aimed to release new textbooks based on the NCF 2023 for Classes 3 and 6 this year.
While Class 3 textbooks are available, Class 6 textbooks based on the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and New Education Policy 2020 have been delayed.
"All Grade 6 textbooks will be available within July 2024. In order to provide adequate time to teachers and students for hands-on experiences under experiential learning perspectives and to ensure a smooth transition for both teachers and students from the old to the new curriculum, NCERT has already made available a month-long bridge programme in all the 10 subject areas for Grade 6, which is being used for teaching at present," the NCERT said in a post.
The CBSE also clarified that there has been no change to the existing curriculum or textbooks except for classes 3 and 6 for the academic year 2024-25.
In a notification, CBSE said: "There will be no change in the Curriculum and textbooks for other classes for the academic year 2024-25 commencing from 1st April 2024."
The CBSE also quoted the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)'s March letter where it was informed new syllabi and textbooks for Grades 3 and 6 are currently under development and will soon be released.
"Consequently, Schools are advised to follow these new syllabi and textbooks for classes 3 and 6 in place of textbooks published by NCERT till the year 2023," the CBSE said.
Additionally, a bridge course for class 6, and concise guidelines for class 3 are being developed by NCERT to facilitate a seamless transition for students to new pedagogical practices and areas of study aligned with NCF-SE 2023, as mentioned by the CBSE.