Meghalaya opts for NCERT textbooks as state ones ‘not up to national standards’

NEW DELHI: The Meghalaya Cabinet, on Thursday, took a decision to use the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks for Classes 1 to 10 with minor modifications.

Announcing the decision, chief minister Conrad Sangma said the decision was taken after wide consultation which revealed that Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) textbooks are “not up to national standards” especially for maths, science and English. The process for adapting NCERT textbooks for certain subjects will start from next academic year.

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma said that by introducing NCERT textbooks the government aims to improve the overall quality of school textbooks while also reducing the number of textbooks. He also said that the NCERT textbooks will be adapted to account for local content

“As a government we are deeply concerned about the education system in the state. After consultation and research with many stakeholders in the education system, we have concluded that most of the MBOSE textbooks especially for mathematics, science and English are not up to the national standards. This adaptation aims to improve- the overall quality of textbooks, learning outcomes, quality of content, which also will lead to the reduction in the number of textbooks. We will also ensure the curriculum is adapted to the national curriculum with adaptation to local content based on our culture and history,” Sangma said through a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Sangma’s National People’s Party came into power after the Legislative Assembly elections in February through a coalition government that includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The NCERT textbooks had come into controversy recently for dropping sections on Mahatma Gandhi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in what was termed as a political move. Many academics and subject experts flagged the textbooks for dropping crucial scientific theories such as Darwin’s theory of evolution.

States such as Kerala released additional textbooks to include the portions dropped by the NCERT.