Padmavati Prabhu Panaji
Aligning with the National Education Policy 2020, the state government will introduce new textbooks for classes I to VIII to integrate the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into mainstream education for the holistic development of children.
Goa State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is gearing up to introduce the new textbooks from the academic year 2026-27. However, for class III and class VI, SCERT has already introduced the new textbooks from the current academic year.
Indian Knowledge System is a broad and inclusive body of knowledge developed in India over thousands of years through observation, experience, experimentation, and reflection,
SCERT said.
“It includes ideas and practices related to science, mathematics, health, environment, art, architecture, governance, ethics, philosophy and everyday life. Integration of IKS into the mainstream education seeks to instill values and a deeper connection to India’s rich heritage in students,” SCERT said.
“IKS’s purpose in education is to help learners understand concepts through Indian contexts, appreciate indigenous innovations and connect learning with real-life practices. By integrating traditional wisdom with modern knowledge, IKS ensures holistic education that is inclusive, secular and relevant for the present and future,” it said.
Director of SCERT Meghna Shetgaonkar said that SCERT has decided to introduce the new textbooks for class IX from academic year 2027-28.
“Once we introduce new textbooks for class VIII this year, the transition would be easier for the student when he reaches class IX next year. These are NCERT textbooks and we have almost completed the work on creating local content for Konkani and Marathi languages. We are also including the local content in social science textbooks and also contextualising art education by including folk art,”
she said.
For a smooth transition from the old textbooks to the new ones, a three-week bridge course, which will mainly be activity-based, will be carried out for the teachers and students at the beginning of the
new academic year.
The new textbooks will have reduced content load, will be more activity-based, with projects and experiential tasks and will facilitate stage-appropriate progression as per the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.
“Additionally, these books will also feature QR codes and digital links for Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) resources. Basically, the focus would be more on less textbooks and more learning,” an SCERT official said.
