Bhubaneswar: In a first for the country, Odisha has translated and contextualised 55 new NCERT textbooks developed under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The Grade V and VIII books were reviewed and approved at the 4th Core Committee Meeting on Syllabi and Textbook Development, chaired by School and Mass Education Commissioner-cum-Secretary N Thirumala Naik in Bhubaneswar Saturday.
The milestone follows the preparation of the Odisha School Education Curriculum Framework 2025 by the Directorate of Teacher Education and State Council of Educational Research & Training (SCERT), which has guided the state’s textbook development efforts.
To promote the holistic development of students, Odisha has also introduced textbooks in the three new subjects—Art Education, Physical Education & Well-being and Vocational Education—ensuring that each has been contextualised to reflect the state’s needs and culture.
All new textbooks will be implemented across schools from the 2026–27 academic year. Odisha has emerged as a leading state in the country by developing the State Curriculum Framework and all new textbooks from Sishu vatika to Class VIII within a very short period.
The SCERT has already begun the process of familiarising teachers across the state with the new Curriculum Framework and the academic transaction of the upcoming textbooks, ensuring smooth classroom implementation from 2026–27, sources said.
PNN
