‘Follow existing curriculum, continue same textbooks except for Classes 3, 6’: CBSE to schools

Referring to a circular, issued on March 22, 2024, the board where directed schools to use new textbooks published by NCERT till 2023 for classes 3 and 6, it reiterated that there will be no change in the curriculum and textbooks for other classes for the academic year 2024-25 which started on April 1, 2024.

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The pilot programme of the curriculum was launched on August 23. (Express image/ representative)

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on July 10 asked the schools to follow the existing curriculum and continue using the same textbooks for all the classes except for Classes 3 and 6. The board has asked the schools to use the same textbooks as they did in the 2023-24 academic year.

The CBSE announcement comes to allay any misgivings and for greater clarity. Referring to a circular, issued on March 22, 2024, the board directed schools to use new textbooks published by NCERT till 2023 for classes 3 and 6. It further reiterated that there will be no change in the curriculum and textbooks for other classes for the academic year 2024-25 which started on April 1, 2024.

“To allay any misgivings and for greater clarity, it is reiterated that for all classes other than 3 and 6, there is no change to the existing curriculum or textbooks. Schools are once again instructed to continue using the same textbooks for these classes as they did in the previous academic year (2023-24),” CBSE said in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter).

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“It is imperative for schools to ensure adherence to the curriculum directives outlined in the initial pages of the curriculum document. Subjects should be taught in accordance with the prescribed curriculum, incorporating methodologies such as multilingualism, art-integrated education, experiential learning and pedagogical plans, wherever feasible,” the official notice issued in March said.

The plan to revise the books and curriculum for the two classes – Class 3 and 6, was made by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as Class 3 marks the beginning of preparatory and Class 6 marks the start of the middle stages and they needed a revamp so that they are in line with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) and to ensure a seamless transition into the new syllabus, the Council had also prepared “bridge course” for Class 6 and “concise guidelines” for Class 3.

Refuting a media report – Confusion over revised NCERT textbooks for classes 6, 9 and 11 leave teachers in a tizzy – the NCERT meanwhile also in a post on X said that all Class 6 textbooks will be available within July 2024 and the two-month deadline mentioned in the article is incorrect.

It further added: “RPDC Bangalore caters to all South Indian States including Tamil Nadu. Title-wise demand of Class 9 and 11 textbooks received from RPDC Bangalore has been met by NCERT Publication division and no shortage has been reported by RPDC Bangalore.”