New NCERT textbooks for classes 10 to 12 being prepared in mission mode: Education minister

NEW DELHI: Revised NCERT textbooks for classes 10 to 12 are being prepared in mission mode, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday. The minister also said that the textbooks for classes 1 to 9 as per the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) have already been released.

Joshi made the comments in his address at the 66th Foundation Day of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). "NCERT is playing a crucial role in building a Viksit Bharat and nurturing skilled, capable, and globally responsible human resources through quality education.

The new textbooks for classes 1 to 9 are already out and the textbooks for classes 10 to 12 are being prepared in mission mode," he said. Joshi noted that in the last two years artificial intelligence has "rapidly become part of our everyday lives".

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AI usage is increasing in education: Pralhad Joshi

"With passing years, the AI usage is increasing and even younger groups are using it. Our textbooks and curricula must evolve with these changes and help our young learners to understand use and engage with AI confidently and also responsibly," he said.

"The new National Education Policy (NEP) talks about all these challenges and requirements. Works should also be done to make parents more alert about this and counsel and monitor children accordingly," he said.

Joshi said with ageing population rising in several countries, India's human resource is not only an asset for the country but also for the world. "Several countries are dealing with ageing population but India has significant youth population.

Our human resource is not only an asset for India but also for the world. Our human resource ranking is going to move up higher in few years. Similarly, the Viksit Bharat mission is not only important for India but also for rest of the world," he said.