2 min readNew DelhiMar 18, 2026 01:22 PM IST
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has issued an advisory informing about the phased rollout of new textbooks under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. In the notice, it apprised the students of Classes 10 and 11 that new textbooks will be introduced from the academic session 2027-28 onwards, rather than the current academic session.
The Council confirmed that new textbooks for classes 1 to 8 have already been developed and are available in both print and digital formats. While for class 9, NCERT says new textbooks are under development and will be made available from the 2026–27 academic session onwards. Draft syllabi for class 9, based on NCF-SE 2023 recommendations, have been published on the official NCERT website for reference and feedback from educators.
On the other hand, the NCERT has unveiled a new English textbook for Class 9, titled Kaveri, which places greater emphasis on Indian writers and elements of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), reports news agency, PTI.
The book, prepared under the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, replaces the earlier textbooks Beehive and Moments. Unlike the previous editions taught between 2006-07 and 2025-26, which featured 15 of 29 texts by international authors, the new compilation balances Indian and foreign voices equally.
Kaveri contains 16 texts — eight by Indian authors, including Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, Rajya Sabha MP and author Sudha Murty, Naga writer Temsula Ao, Assamese novelist Mitra Phukan, and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The book opens with a story from Murty’s 2004 collection How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories.
Foreign contributions include works by American poet David Roth, English poet Charles Swain, children’s writer Bryanna T. Perkins, poet Robert Langley, writer Maya Anthony, and Singapore-based author Irene Chua. The anthology also features an anonymous poem, Gifts of Grace: Honouring Our Vocations, and an interview-based piece, The World of Limitless Possibilities, spotlighting Paralympic athlete Deepa Malik.
Officials noted that the number of textbooks for the subject has been reduced from two to one, and the total number of texts trimmed from 29 to 16, ensuring a more streamlined curriculum with equal representation of Indian and international literature.
