Odisha to roll out 55 revised textbooks for classes I–VIII from 2026–27

The Odisha government is set to introduce 55 new textbooks for students from Classes I to VIII beginning the 2026–27 academic year, as part of the state’s implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, officials said on Friday.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting on school education reforms chaired by Union Education Minister, which was attended by Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond along with senior central and state government officials. The meeting reviewed Odisha’s preparedness for aligning its curriculum with the national framework under NEP 2020.

Speaking after the meeting, Gond said the new textbooks would replace existing materials for Classes I to VIII and are being developed by translating and contextualising NCERT textbooks. He said the revised books would reflect Odisha’s local culture, heritage and learning needs while remaining aligned with national standards, as reported by TOI.

To support the rollout, the state has initiated an extensive teacher training programme. Around 1,000 master resource persons have already been trained in four batches across four zones. These trainers will subsequently train more than 1.66 lakh primary teachers at the district level to ensure effective classroom implementation of the new curriculum.

During the meeting, Pradhan emphasised several priority areas under NEP 2020, including the promotion of mother-tongue-based education at least up to Class V, strengthening the PM-Poshan scheme with a focus on student nutrition, and implementing 10 bagless school days each year for students from Classes VI to X. He also asked district officials to actively engage students and parents to create awareness and interest around the introduction of the new textbooks.

Officials said three new subjects, art education, physical education and well-being, and vocational education, have been incorporated under NEP 2020 to promote holistic development among students.

The meeting primarily focused on ensuring a smooth transition to the new curriculum and strengthening the state’s school education system in line with NEP 2020 objectives.