Odisha's New Textbooks Initiative: A Step Towards Holistic Education

The Odisha government plans to introduce 55 new textbooks for classes 1 to 8, aligned with the NEP 2020 and NCERT materials. This initiative aims to reflect local culture and heritage. Over 1,000 resource persons will train primary teachers to ensure smooth implementation, promoting holistic education across the state.

The Odisha government is set to launch 55 new textbooks for students in classes 1 to 8 starting the next academic year, as revealed by officials on Friday during a high-level meeting chaired by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The initiative aims to align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) translating and contextualizing NCERT materials to reflect Odisha's culture and heritage. This effort underscores the state's educational reforms beyond mere curriculum change.

As part of the initiative, over 1,000 master resource persons have been trained to facilitate the dissemination and understanding of the new materials among more than 1.66 lakh primary teachers. The reforms include creating awareness about the changes among students and parents, promoting mother-tongue education, and introducing new subjects to ensure a holistic education approach.

(With inputs from agencies.)