Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): CBSE’s move to introduce new NCERT textbooks for Grades 5 and 8, four months after the academic year began, has triggered concern among parents and stress among students.
Parents are now being asked to buy another full set of textbooks, while students must shift to a new syllabus midway through the session. Annual exams will be based on new books, making what has been taught so far practically useless.
In a circular issued on July 28, CBSE informed schools that NCERT has published revised textbooks for Grades 5 and 8. These cover all subjects—English, Hindi, Urdu, Mathematics, Physical Education, Sanskrit, and Science—and are based on the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Most CBSE-affiliated private schools had already made parents purchase complete sets of books, mainly from private publishers, before the session started on April 1. These books were costly. Now, many feel forced to spend again.
“It is ridiculous and unfair to make us spend money on buying two sets of books in one session,” said Aniruddh Kale, whose daughter studies in Grade 8 at a leading CBSE school in the city.
Teachers agree the mid-session switch creates confusion. Some schools had been teaching using the old syllabus, while others followed a bridge course suggested by CBSE. Now, all schools must shift to new NCERT books for final exams.“This means that whatever the children have learnt till now will be of no use to them in examinations,” a teacher said.
No new books for now, only notes
“We will not be asking parents to buy new set of books. We have requested teachers to make notes from new books and teach children,” said Shailesh Jhope, principal of Anand Vihar School.
He admitted that while this would increase teachers’ workload, it will ease financial strain on parents.
Poor planning, says parent body
“The schools and CBSE both are responsible for creating this problem,” said Prabodh Pandya, President of the MP Paalak Mahasangh.
He said that even private MPBSE-affiliated schools using NCERT books will now face same problem due to sudden shift.
