New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will release the new Class 9 textbooks for the 2026-27 academic session between April 10 and 15, NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said on Thursday, even as printing delays push the release into the early weeks of the academic year.
Speaking at a webinar hosted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) at its Dwarka headquarters, Saklani said most of the books are currently in the printing stage, with delays caused by extensive consultations among experts.
"Most of the Class 9 textbooks are ready and are being printed. Except for one or two, all textbooks will be released between April 10 and 15. The remaining books require more careful review, as they often attract intense debate and controversy after publication. We are making every effort to minimise such controversies," he said.
The revised textbooks mark a shift in how NCERT develops its content, with a much larger pool of contributors. Prof. Saklani added that nearly 4,000 experts were involved in preparing the new textbooks, a significant shift from earlier editions.
"Earlier, NCERT textbooks were often written by one person or a small group of two to four authors, leading to varying perspectives. That does not mean those books were of low quality, generations have studied them and gone on to become doctors, engineers, and civil servants. Now, around 4,000 experts are involved in writing the new textbooks, which naturally requires more time due to detailed discussions among them to come to a conclusion," he said.
NCERT has already rolled out revised textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 as part of the curriculum overhaul.
The update comes weeks after the Supreme Court of India pulled up NCERT in February over a Class 8 chapter referring to "Corruption in the Judiciary", calling it a "calculated attempt" to undermine the court's dignity. NCERT subsequently issued an unconditional apology and recalled over 80,000 copies of the textbook to revise the content.
The new Class 9 books are part of a phased rollout of National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023, and the National Education Policy 2020. As per an NCERT advisory issued on March 17, Classes 10 and 11 will transition to the new textbooks from the 2027-28 academic session.
With the new academic session having begun on April 1 across more than 32,900 CBSE-affiliated schools, the board reiterated that NCERT textbooks remain mandatory for Classes 9 to 12.
Meanwhile, CBSE Chairperson Rahul Singh said teaching should not be held up due to delays in textbook availability. "We urge schools to start classroom transactions based on the syllabus already available. For languages, teachers can begin with the grammar components. In mathematics and science, initial topics can be covered, and the social science curriculum can also be introduced," he said.
Saklani also urged school heads to align institutional practices with NCF-SE 2023 in the interim, with a focus on understanding student psychology and strengthening infrastructure.
