With the new academic session set to begin on April 1, schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are facing uncertainty due to the unavailability of updated Class 9 textbooks by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). This change is part of a broader curriculum update aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, aimed at making learning more competency-based and student-friendly.
NCERT confirmed that new textbooks for Grade 9 are currently under development and will be introduced from the academic session 2026–27 onwards. Meanwhile, draft syllabi for Class 9 have been uploaded on the official NCERT website for reference and feedback from educators and stakeholders.
The Council explicitly advised teachers to focus on prerequisite learning (bridging knowledge gaps from previous grades) during the first few weeks before initiating the new curriculum.
Unlike previous years, students entering Class 9 should avoid buying secondhand books from seniors, as the content has changed significantly enough to make older editions irrelevant.
The advisory further states that new textbooks for Grades 10 and 11 will be introduced from the 2027–28 academic session. Until then, schools will continue using the existing textbooks for these classes during the 2026–27 session, while textbooks for Classes 1–8 are already available in both print and digital formats.
NCERT has urged all stakeholders, including schools, teachers, and parents, to take note of the phased implementation plan and work together to ensure a smooth transition to the updated education system.
