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New Class 9 textbooks aligned with NEP to roll out by April 15: NCERT director
NCERT says new NEP-aligned Class 9 textbooks will be released by April 15; most books are in print, with rollout across CBSE schools for 2026–27 session.
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The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will release its new Class 9 textbooks, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, for the academic year 2026–27 by April 15, NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said on Thursday.
Addressing a webinar organised by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) at its headquarters in Dwarka, Saklani said most of the Class 9 textbooks are currently in the printing stage, and the process was delayed due to extensive consultations among experts involved in their development.
Saklani said that around 4,000 experts are involved in writing the new textbooks. “Earlier, NCERT textbooks were often written by one person or a small group of two to four authors, leading to varying perspectives. That does not mean those books were of low quality—generations have studied them and gone on to become doctors, engineers, and civil servants. Now, around 4,000 experts are involved in writing the new textbooks, which naturally requires more time due to detailed discussions among them to come to a conclusion,” he added.
NCERT has already released the new textbooks for Classes 1 to 8.
“Most of the Class 9 textbooks are ready and are being printed. Except for one or two, all textbooks will be released between April 10 and 15. The remaining books require more careful review, as they often attract intense debate and controversy after publication. We are making every effort to minimise such controversies,” Saklani said.
In February 2026, the Supreme Court slammed NCERT for a Class 8 textbook chapter containing a section on ‘Corruption in the Judiciary,’ calling it a “calculated attempt” to undermine the court’s dignity. Consequently, NCERT issued an unconditional apology and recalled over 80,000 copies to rewrite the content of the chapter.
The update on the release of textbooks follows a crucial NCERT advisory issued on March 17, which said that while Class 9 shifts to the new NCF-aligned books from the academic year 2026–27, students in Classes 10 and 11 will be introduced to them from the academic session 2027–28 onwards.
Until the new textbooks reach classrooms, he urged school principals to align school culture with the NCF-SE 2023, emphasising the need to better understand students’ psychology and improve infrastructure.
The new academic session in over 32,900 CBSE-affiliated schools began on April 1, and it is mandatory for all its schools to use NCERT textbooks for Classes 9 to 12.
Meanwhile, CBSE chairperson Rahul Singh said the unavailability of physical textbooks should not mean that learning stops in the classroom. Referring to the syllabi of various subjects available on the CBSE website, Singh said schools need not wait for textbooks to begin teaching. “We urge schools to start classroom transactions based on the syllabus already available. For languages, teachers can begin with the grammar components. In mathematics and science, initial topics can be covered, and the social science curriculum can also be introduced,” he said.
