Maharashtra state board to adopt NCERT for maths & science

MUMBAI: Maharashtra govt is set to adopt National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks for mathematics and science in state board schools from the next academic year, reports Sandhya Nair.
The decision was taken in a meeting with officials, principals and teacher representatives, where school education minister Deepak Kesarkar emphasised the growing demand for CBSE schools due to their focus on preparing students for competitive exams.CBSE schools use NCERT texts.

The texts will be introduced in a phased manner, starting with classes 1, 3, 5, 8, and 11 in 2025-26. For History and Geography, the curriculum will remain the same, with a few additions from the NCERT-prescribed course.

Maharashtra govt’s decision to introduce NCERT readers for maths and science will make all non-English medium schools adopt a semiEnglish mode of education as textbooks for the two subjects will be available only in English. However, Marathi will continue to be a mandatory language for all schools and standards up to class 12.
The transition from the current Balbharati course work to NCERT textbooks is planned to coincide with the introduction of the National Education Policy in school education next year. The State Curriculum Framework for School Education (SCF-SE) is also in its final stages, despite occasional criticism such as the inclusion of a controversial verse from the ancient text Manusmriti in a draft released in May.
Reacting to the decision, Fr. Flovi Dsouza, principal of Don Bosco School Borivali, noted the high demand for CBSE schools and the benefits of NCERT textbooks in prepa ring for competitive exams. State board teachers pointed out that the govt had previously lowered the difficulty level of its textbooks to help students score well in board exams. Veena Donwalkar, principal of Shivaji Vidyalaya, emphasized the need for teacher training if NCERT textbooks are introduced. However, anot her CBSE school principal questioned the relevance of using NCERT texts now that competitive exams are conducted by the National Testing Agency instead of CBSE. A principal from an Andheri school recalled discussions undertaken in 2009 for introducing NCERT textbooks to state schools, and said the books were then found to be too challenging for "academically weak" children.
CBSE has encouraged the use of NCERT textbooks for class 1 to 8. In Aug, CBSE made it compulsory for its schools to use NCERT texts for class 9 to 12 from this year. Previously, schools had a choice to prescribe either NCERT or books by private publishers for all classes. NCERT texts are being revamped in line with the NEP.