The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has slashed the Class 9 English syllabus, reducing the number of textbooks from two to one, and the number of texts from 29 to 16.
The new Class 9 English textbook opens with a story taken from a 2004 book ‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories’ by Rajya Sabha MP and author Sudha Murty.
It also includes texts by celebrated Indian writers such as Subramania Bharati and Rabindranath Tagore, and lesser-known foreign poets such as Bryanna T Perkins, Irene Chua and Robert Langley. Of the 29 texts across the two previous textbooks, 28 have been replaced in the new book.
Only O Henry’s short story “The Last Leaf” makes an appearance in the new book.
In the opening story of the new textbook — seen by HT, released on Monday — titled ‘Kaveri’, the narrator Murty recalls living with her grandparents in a village in north Karnataka at the age of 12, where poor transport meant the morning newspaper arrived only in the afternoon.
She recounts how her grandmother resolved to become literate late in life. Determined to read on her own, the grandmother told Murty, according to the book: “I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet from tomorrow onwards… That day I should be able to read a novel on my own. I want to be independent.”
{{/usCountry}}She recounts how her grandmother resolved to become literate late in life. Determined to read on her own, the grandmother told Murty, according to the book: “I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet from tomorrow onwards… That day I should be able to read a novel on my own. I want to be independent.”
{{/usCountry}}Reflecting on the moment, the narrator says she was deeply moved by her grandmother’s resolve and realised “the meaning of independence and self-respect” in a new way. The story ends on an emotional note when the grandmother, after learning to read, bows to her granddaughter and says she is touching the feet “of a teacher who taught me so well.”
The story portrays “the inspiring journey of a grandmother who overcomes age and circumstances to achieve literacy, guided by her granddaughter. It highlights how learning can lead to independence and self-worth at any stage in life,” according to the ‘About The Book’ section.
The new textbook, available on online shopping platforms, was developed in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. Titled ‘Kaveri’, the book will be introduced for Class 9 from the 2026-27 academic year, replacing the earlier textbooks ‘Beehive’ and ‘Moments.’
“The book has been made available at online shopping platforms like Amazon from where students can order the book. However, the PDF format of the new book is yet to be uploaded on NCERT website’s book section,” a person aware of the development told HT.
In the previous textbooks — taught in schools between 2006-07 to 2025-26 academic sessions — 15 of the 29 texts were written by international authors.
Well-known foreign works included ‘The Fun They Had’ by Isaac Asimov, ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost, and ‘The Happy Prince’ by Oscar Wilde. Indian voices, meanwhile, included pieces such as ‘My Childhood’ by APJ Abdul Kalam, ‘The Snake and the Mirror’ by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, ‘A Truly Beautiful Mind’ by RK Laxman, and ‘The Lost Child’ by Mulk Raj Anand.
The new Class 9 textbook containing “elements of Indian Knowledge Systems(IKS)” has 16 texts -- eight by Indian authors, including Subramania Bharati, Sudha Murty, Temsula Ao, Mitra Phukan and Rabindranath Tagore, and six by foreign writers such as David Roth, Charles Swain, Bryanna T. Perkins, Robert Langley, Maya Anthony and Irene Chua.
The new Class 9 textbook, which also contains “elements of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS)”, has 16 texts — eight by Indian authors, including Tamil nationalist poet Subramania Bharati, author and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty, Naga poet and writer Temsula Ao, Assamese novelist Mitra Phukan, and Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. Six texts are by foreign writers such as American poet David Roth, English poet Charles Swain, American children’s writer Bryanna T. Perkins, poet Robert Langley, writer Maya Anthony, and Singapore-based author Irene Chua.
The book also includes an anonymous poem, ‘Gifts of Grace: Honouring Our Vocations’, and an interview-based piece titled “The World of Limitless Possibilities,” featuring an interview with Paralympic athlete Deepa Malik.
Apart from Murty’s story, the new English textbook includes ‘The Pot Maker’ by author Temsula Ao, which focuses on traditional craftsmanship and the dignity of skilled labour. It also features ‘Vitamin-M’ by Asha Nehemiah,Indian author who writes book for children, highlighting the emotional value of relationships, and ‘Follow That Dream’ by Singaporean author Irene Chua, which encourages perseverance and ambition.
‘Bharat Our Land’ by Subramania Bharati praises the country’s heritage and unity, while ‘I Cannot Remember My Mother’ by Rabindranath Tagore reflects on maternal affection and loss. Other poems include ‘Nine Gold Medals’ by David Roth, which celebrates sportsmanship and empathy, ‘Words’ by Charles Swain on the power of language, and ‘Believe in Yourself’ by Robert Langley, which emphasises confidence and determination.
In the foreword of the textbook, NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said, ”The content of the book has been selected to engage learners with concerns of society, environment, ethics, science and technology, aspirations, and human relationships. This will further encourage learners to think critically and emphatically about the world they inhabit.”
Shweta Kumari, an English teacher at St Marks Senior Secondary Public School in Delhi’s Harsh Vihar, said the reduced content load allows more time for classroom activities. “It is good that the content load has been reduced as we get more time to enable students to learn through practical activities mentioned in the book,” she said.