Why Class 5, Class 8 schoolchildren study without requisite textbooks?

For Class 5, textbooks for Hindi, English, Urdu, Mathematics, Arts, The World Around Us, and Physical Education & Well-being are expected by June 15. Similarly, Class 8 textbooks across all major subjects are scheduled for release by June 20.

This marks the second consecutive year that the rollout of new textbooks based on the updated National Curriculum Framework of School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 is getting delayed.

New Class 7 textbooks, developed in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, are now accessible online.

These include titles like Poorvi (English), Ganita Prakash (Mathematics), Malhar (Hindi), Deepakam (Sanskrit), Curiosity (Science), Kaushal Bodh (Vocational Education), Exploring Society India and Beyond (Social Science), Khel Yatra (Physical Education and Well-being), and Khayal (Urdu).

According to the timeline issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), textbooks for Classes 4 and 7 were to be available between April 10 and 20. However, for Classes 5 and 8, students will have to wait until June.

In the interim, students in Classes 5 and 8 have begun their sessions with a ‘bridge programme’ — a series of subject-wise activities developed by NCERT to ease the transition to the new curriculum. The programme, which spans 30 days for Class 5 and 45 days for Class 8, uses material provided online.

New textbooks aligning with NCF-SE 2023 are being developed across all classes. NCERT had introduced textbooks for Classes 1 and 2 in 2023, and for Classes 3 and 6 in 2024.

Schools, in the meantime, are making use of PowerPoint presentations, worksheets, digital study materials, and bridge programmes to tackle the delay in textbooks for Classes 4, 5, 7, and 8.

A private school principal said, “Once the books are made available in the market, it will be a relief to the students. Thankfully, we had anticipated the delay, like last year, so teachers have been able to adjust accordingly.”

A parent of a Class 7 student in Delhi shared that teachers had been asking students to take printouts of the online material, which has become a hassle for many families.