Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Tuesday (December 17) that NCERT textbooks for some classes will cost less starting next year. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which currently prints five crore textbooks annually, is set to increase its production capacity to 15 crore books from the next academic year.

Pradhan also confirmed that updated textbooks aligned with the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for classes 9-12 will be rolled out by the 2026-27 academic session.

“In the next academic year, NCERT will publish 15 crore quality and affordable books… Currently, it publishes nearly five crore textbooks. Earlier, there were concerns about demand and supply about the textbooks. However, that will be addressed now,” Pradhan told reporters.

He added that the larger volume of book production would reduce prices for some classes, ensuring no increase in costs for any class to avoid financial stress for parents.

“Since the volume of printing of books is going to be high, the prices of textbooks for some classes will be reduced. However, the price will not be increased for any class to ensure there is no financial burden on parents,” he added.

NCERT textbooks being updated as per NCF 

The process of updating textbooks as per the NCF is underway, with new books already introduced for seven out of 15 grades. Pradhan stated that textbooks for four more grades would be available next year, including materials for arts, physical education, wellbeing (classes 3-8), and vocational education (classes 6-8). These resources are also being developed in all scheduled Indian languages and will be accessible via online platforms.

Pradhan highlighted the growing reach of CBSE-affiliated schools, which have more than doubled from 14,974 in 2014 to 30,415 in 2024. He also emphasised advancements in technology and vocational education and said, “Admissions, transfers and CBSE affiliation processes are now fully online. Kendriya Vidyalyas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and the CBSE are operating on 100 per cent e-office platforms. Schools offering vocational courses have risen from 960 in 2014 to 29,342 in 2024. Student enrolment in skill education has surged from 58,720 in 2014 to over 30.8 lakh in 2024.”In a separate press conference, Union Minister of State for Aviation Murlidhar Mohol highlighted significant progress in education infrastructure over the past decade.
“…because of which, seven Indian institutions — IITs Delhi, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Mumbai, and Madras, IISc (Indian Institute of Science) – Bengaluru, and the Delhi University — have found a place in the reputable QS world university ranking,” Mohol said.