New Delhi – India’s census is due in the next three years. NCERT’s social science book for 8th standard quotes a literacy data for the year 2001 and the availability of housing, electricity and piped water comes from 1994. Its foreword bears the date of November 30, 2007, and the book has been in print for 10 years without even a single change.
But from April 2018 it is said that NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) is going to update all of its 182 textbooks. The chapters are expected to bring in a lot of updates including the developments and reforms such as Goods and Services Tax and demonetization that would be included in the new course. In total it is heard that the NCERT has made approximately 1,334 changes with an average of seven changes per book.
Hrushikesh Senapaty, who is the director of NCERT said that the text for the books is expected to be ready within a month and then it would be sent for printing immediately. The updated books will be delivered to all the schools and individuals by March, before the new session starts in April 2018. The books are expected to be delivered by post as to whoever orders it. Students and individuals can place the orders.
There are various changes overall; these include updates, corrections, and some additions. The updates will take care of the national statistics, economic data, while the additions would include popular topics such as demonetization, GST, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. But mostly it was confirmed that more than half of the changes involved correction of spelling errors, typos and the simplification of language.
As per the sources, the council has received as many as 2 crore orders for NCERT books on their website for the next session, i.e., the next year. Mr. Senapaty said that the demand is anticipated to be a lot higher for the books next year. As all the CBSE schools would go with the new books, the total demand for the books is expected to be nearly 13 crores this year.
NCERT council has also gone ahead and tied up with some printers and vendors so that they would be able to cater to the high demand. Quality wise as well the paper used for the books is 80 gsm (grams per square meter) paper, which eventually is higher than the other private and other state publishers.
