Students in Class 1 from Maharashtra State Board schools will receive new textbooks starting in the academic year 2025-26, beginning in June. These textbooks will be based on the curriculum developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which is primarily used by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools. Confirming the development, Ranjit Singh Deol, principal secretary of school education and sport department of Maharashtra, said, “New textbooks for Class 1 will be ready for the upcoming academic year starting in June 2025. They are based on the NCERT curriculum, but it is important to note that they will include Maharashtra context in subjects such as Social Sciences. For example, science and mathematics are universal subjects but geography, history, languages need to have local elements for better understanding of the state and its culture. This can be ensured with Maharashtra based context for such subjects.” Experts from the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) developed these new textbooks based on the NCERT curriculum and in alignment with the State Curriculum Framework (SCF) as per the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. “As NCERT develops curriculum for higher classes, Maharashtra SCERT will follow a year after. Accordingly, when this batch reaches Class 2 in the academic year 2026-27, new textbooks will be ready for them,” Deol added. Meanwhile, in response to a question about the state’s plan to adopt the CBSE curriculum for state board schools, state School Education Minister Dada Bhuse said in the Assembly on Thursday that the steering committee formed for the state curriculum framework has approved such a plan, and its implementation is currently being worked on. As part of Maharashtra government’s broader initiative to adopt the CBSE model of school education, which follows the NCERT curriculum, there have also been discussions about aligning the academic calendar with that of the CBSE, which begins the academic year in April. “Considering the local weather conditions, this may not be feasible for Maharashtra, but the timing is still under discussion. However, the introduction of new textbooks for Class 1 starting in June 2025 is confirmed,” said a senior official from the school education department.
