Over 6.6 million UP board textbooks hit market timely

It is for the first time, textbooks for Classes 9 to 12 made available at the very start of the new academic session, which officially commenced on April 1.

Over 6.6 million textbooks for Classes 9 to 12 of Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) have hit the market within three weeks of commencement of 2026-27 academic session. This timely availability ensures smoother access for students across the state.

For representation only (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It is for the first time, textbooks for Classes 9 to 12 made available at the very start of the new academic session, which officially commenced on April 1. Board officials said this proactive step efficiently met demand and prevented the usual delays faced at the start of the session. The officials attributed the smooth distribution partly to the availability of affordable, authorised books, which encouraged booksellers to stock up in advance.

Demand has been particularly high for the 70 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)-licensed textbooks across 36 subjects, along with 12 supplementary titles in Hindi, Sanskrit, and Urdu.

According to preliminary data, the distribution figures are as follows: Class 9: 1.5 million books; Class 10: 1.62 million books; Class 11: 1.97 million books; and Class 12: 1.5 million books

To enhance accessibility and affordability for over one crore students studying in more than 29,000 UP Board schools, the Board has implemented a new mandate for distribution and strengthened compliance efforts.

In a key move, the UP Board, for the first time, directed publishers to supply NCERT-based textbooks directly to all 75 districts under its mandate for the 2026–27 session. This change affects over one crore students in Classes 9 to 12 across more than 28,000 affiliated schools. Unlike previous years, the Board made it mandatory in its tender for publishers to handle distribution directly, a measure intended to reduce reliance on costly, unauthorised alternatives. UP Board Secretary Bhagwati Singh confirmed this provision has been included in the tender process for the first time.

Authorities have also directed the organisation of book fairs across districts to further improve accessibility. In Prayagraj, a major book fair is scheduled to begin on April 28 at Government Inter College, serving students from over 1,000 schools.

Secretary Singh confirmed that schools have been instructed to use only authorised textbooks. Officials have been asked to conduct surprise inspections to ensure compliance, and strict action, including legal action under the Copyright Act, has been warned against printers and booksellers found selling counterfeit or overpriced textbooks or violating NCERT copyright conditions.

This marks the first time in nearly a decade that UP Board students have had access to official NCERT textbooks within three weeks of the session’s start on April 1. Although NCERT books were introduced in UP Board schools in 2016, timely availability had remained a persistent challenge, officials conceded.