Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Board to have NCERT textbooks from 2018-19

A move is afoot to replace textbooks meant for Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Board students with the ones published by the NCERT, following a direction to this effect from the Yogi Adityanath government in the state, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"We received a communication in May from Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, who also holds the secondary education portfolio, with the direction to introduce NCERT books into our curriculum," Additional Secretary (Administration), UP Board, Shiv Lal told. He said the changes, which will bring the curriculum of UP Board at par with the CBSE, "are likely to come into force with the academic year 2018-19.

"This implies that those writing their Class X and Class XII exams in 2019 will comprise the first batch of students to be facing their tests under the new system." Only subjects like Krishi (agriculture) for both High School and Intermediate Vyavsayik (business studies) for Intermediate will not have NCERT books since there is a considerable difference between the UP Board and the CBSE when it comes to syllabuses for these subjects, he said.

"The process will be set in motion soon with meetings of our committees on textbooks and curriculum. "The proposed changes will thereafter be vetted at a meeting of the Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (secondary education council), which would be presided over by the Director, Secondary Education. Thereafter, the draft proposal will be sent to the government for approval," Lal said.

Millions of students appear for Class X and Class XII exams conducted by the UP Board every year. Last year, 32.6 lakh students had appeared for their high school exams while the number for Intermediate was 29.2 lakh.

Results for the current academic year (2016-17) will be declared on June 9.