Odisha Approves 17 New Textbooks for Grades 5 and 8, Leads NEP 2020 Implementation

Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Saturday marked another significant milestone in school education reform with the approval of 17 newly developed textbooks for Grades 5 and 8 during the 4th Core Committee Meeting on Syllabi and Textbook Development. The meeting was chaired by Dr. N. Thirumala Naik, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, School & Mass Education Department, and attended by all Directors under the department along with other committee members.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, Odisha has translated and contextualized 55 new NCERT textbooks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This landmark achievement follows the development of the Odisha School Education Curriculum Framework 2025 by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), which now serves as the foundation for the State’s revamped curriculum and textbooks. The Framework was formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister on Teachers’ Day, September 5, 2025.

As part of its focus on holistic education, the State has also introduced textbooks in three new subject areas—Art Education, Physical Education & Well-being, and Vocational Education. These subjects have been carefully adapted to Odisha’s socio-cultural context to ensure relevance and practicality. All newly developed textbooks will be rolled out in schools from the academic session 2026–27.

With the rapid development of the State Curriculum Framework and the complete set of textbooks from Sishu Vatika to Class VIII within a short timeframe, Odisha has emerged as a frontrunner in implementing NEP 2020. SCERT has already initiated statewide programmes to familiarise teachers with the new framework and pedagogical approaches, ensuring smooth classroom adoption.

During the contextualization process, special emphasis was placed on embedding local stories, examples, and references from Odisha’s history, science, mathematics, literature, and art. This learner-centric approach is expected to deepen student engagement while strengthening knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions envisioned under NEP 2020.