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National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a new book on Class 8 maths called Ganit Prakash, which has been posted on NCERT's official web page.

It is in sync with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. It has already come out with ten of its books in detail this year for Classes 5 and 8.

AN INTERACTIVE, ACTIVITY-BASED APPROACH

Ganit Prakash is activity-based and fun-based, by using puzzles, storytelling, and recall of India's rich mathematical heritage -- from Aryabhata and Bhaskaracharya to Ramanujan.

The book has been authored in a manner such that it would challenge critical thinking and contextualize mathematics to guide the students step by step on how to think and build conceptual confidence.

NCERT has given the textbook source book status for the students, parents, and teachers to try to introduce a smiling goal-oriented learning system.

ADDITIONAL NEP-ALIGNED TEXTBOOKS

Ganit Prakash book is one of the full revision of Class 8 book materials. New Science, Social Science, English, Hindi, Art and Vocational books have also been published.

They are committed to experiential, heritage and inclusive learning to transition from rote to creative, inter-disciplinary and skill-based learning.

For instance, in a Class 8 Science textbook, Curiosity, insertions of India's scientific legacy -- situating early concepts of atoms and water clocks -- within modern science concepts.

The Social Science book is balanced, for instance a 22-page chapter on Marathas and balanced evaluation of Mughal emperors.

CULTURAL ROOTING THROUGH TEXTBOOK TITLES

NCERT has encouraged the use of Hindi titles and Roman script for certain subjects -- Indianizing a past practice. Ganit Prakash is one such example. The inspiration is to be understood as homogeneous and culturally motivated. But there have been states that have been at loggerheads.

NCERT does assist the change by quoting that names like Ganit Prakash transcend cultural norms and are a contribution India is making to mathematics.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

This shift of emphasis towards India's epistemological heritage based curriculum complemented by experiential learning is for learning as well as for critical thinking.

NCERT model conforms to NEP vision of contextualization of education so that it becomes a more robust culturally responsive and creative effort.

With books like these received by NCERT, it continues to enrich content with inputs received from parents, children, and teachers. Success with Ganit Prakash and other similar books has long-term effects on influencing teachers and the method of teaching in India

Taking a big leap in improving the safety of students, the Uttar Pradesh government has introduced an ₹80 crore program to de-string high-tension (HT) and low-tension (LT) power cables passing over government schools in the state.

The ambitious scheme will include all primary, upper primary, and secondary schools that fall under the Basic and Secondary Education departments. The Power Department has already given instructions to facilitate quick and orderly implementation of the scheme.

Dr Ashish Kumar Goel, the Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL), has directed regional managing directors of the state's four key power distribution zones of Purvanchal, Madhyanchal, Paschimanchal, and Dakshinanchal to get in touch with local government officials for implementing the move forthwith.

District-level committees consisting of District Magistrates (DMs), Chief Development Officers (CDOs), Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (BSAs), and District Inspectors of Schools (DIOS) shall spot the affected school buildings and monitor line-removal activities. The committees have been asked to conduct their first meeting within three days to initiate the process.

To minimize disruption to learning by students, officials have been directed to plan the removal of the line during school breaks whenever possible. Short-term closures might be considered in situations where urgent work cannot be avoided.

This step comes in the wake of increasing concerns regarding the safety of children at school, particularly in rural and semi-urban belts where overhead cables tend to pass close to schools. The move is a part of the overall effort by the state to make school infrastructure child-safe and resilient.

The project will not only remove an overlooked hazard but also mark a serious turn to put child safety high on the agenda in schools, officials stated.

The Haryana School Education Board has instructed all schools under the state to make recitation of lines from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita a part of their daily prayer sessions.

In a letter to school principals, the Board's Chairman wrote that recitation of these lines will help in students' all-around development.

The HSEB is of the view that Gita teachings have moral and spiritual lessons that can inspire young minds positively. The action aims to instill in schoolchildren values of discipline, responsibility, and concentration.

"The reason for introducing recitation of Bhagavad Gita verses in school prayer meetings is that children must learn from the spirituality and the wisdom that the scripture contains in abundance and implement them in their life for the welfare of society," Pawan Kumar, Chairman HSEB, said.

"We wish to observe the change in the coming generations so that they can become an example to the world and make India the Vishwaguru, as PM Modi has also stated. In the past, people from across the globe used to visit India for spiritual knowledge. India's spiritual knowledge is world-class," he further stated.

The ruling is applicable to government and private schools associated with the HSEB. Principals have been requested to make certain verses read on a regular basis in morning assemblies.

This comes against the backdrop of continued attempts by the state to incorporate value- and culture-based learning into the school curriculum. The move has been welcomed by some educators for its moral teachings but could generate arguments regarding the place of religious texts in public schools.

The officials have explained that the verses will be taught in a manner that highlights their philosophical and educational content, rather than religious education.

The roll-out is set to take place in the next academic session in Haryana schools.

Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Sunday requested Centre to take immediate action to address the textbook shortage in Kendriya Vidyalayas in the state.

He pointed out that students of Class 5 and 8 in PM Sri Kendriya Vidyalayas are still lacking necessary books, four months after the onset of classes.

With only days remaining for the first quarterly tests, the default on the part of NCERT authorities to provide books, which should have been distributed, is highly serious, the minister observed in a press statement.

Kendriya Vidyalayas classes commenced from April 1. Even after four months, however, teachers were offered study material only through websites.

The minister explained that students cannot sit for the exams without books, which will greatly impact their studies.

Making a comparison between the state government schools, Sivankutty declared that textbooks have been made available in them even prior to the start of the academic year.

"In this situation, the negligence of NCERT is unacceptable. The action is to sell the books online and private book kiosks rather than providing them in schools," Sivankutty claimed.

It would compel children to purchase books at a monstrous price than the initial rate.

The union government should step into this immediately to provide textbooks to the students with regard to their future, the state minister said.

Acting on a media report, the District Magistrate of Surguja in Chhattisgarh conducted an inspection of a ruined school in a far-flung village and took immediate action, including sanctioning a new school building and suspending the village secretary.

The visit was made a day after India Today reported that village kids had to learn in a dilapidated Anganwadi kitchen because there was no working school building, which existed only on paper, it was reported.

Shaken by the grim situation, the DM visited the premises himself and raised serious concern over the lack of basic educational infrastructure. "Children cannot be taught in such unsafe surroundings," said the DM during the visit. He sanctioned the building of a proper school building for the village on the spot.

Taking administrative action, the DM suspended the village secretary for dereliction of duty and served a show-cause notice to the block education officer for not taking action earlier against the long-pending issue.

The incident has again brought to light the disconnect between records and ground realities in rural education. It also highlights the important role played by the media in bringing spotlight to the forgotten corners of the system.

The authorities have been directed to start the process of building without any delay, and ad-hoc measures for safe learning environments are being made for the affected kids.

With administrative accountability now underway, residents are optimistic that the children will finally receive the classroom they deserve.

General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday ruled out the prospect of the government changing its stance in revising the school timing. The revision is done only for classes 8 to 10, the minister claimed, while very few students used to attend the religious studies in these classes.

The priority is to protect the education rights of the students, Sivankutty reiterated. "The government does not object to religious education, but the academics of the students are paramount," he added.

Saying he had spoken to Jifri Thangal (Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama president Syed Mohammed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal), Sivankutty clarified that the recent meetings had no connection with school-hour change but to dispel doubts. "They have been misguided. The meeting was to clarify, not to alter," he explained.

Classes in Malappuram and Kozhikode unaided schools start at 9am, Sivankutty added.

"We have 10 schools in Gulf countries. Those schools run by the authorities there start at 9am," he said, and claimed that the government was interested in guarding the interests of all 47 lakh students in Kerala. He also clarified that there is no opposition by the government regarding the opinions of any religious group. "We are ready to discuss with anyone on extending the school hours," he said.

Regarding the padapooja matter, Sivankutty said that washing teachers', retired teachers', or any other distinguished personality's feet by students as part of customary practice will be prohibited in state schools.

"The education department has directed the director of general education to ask questions about schools where such incidents occurred. These are similar to old customs in the modern world. School officials at the helm of RSS ruled that they would provide protection to the institution for the (padapooja) ceremony.

But such schools will struggle to run the institution legally," Sivankutty said.

Community groups have to take up matters relating to their own communities or religion; education is the sphere of the democratically-elected government, according to the minister, while simultaneously indicating that religion and education should never be combined and will not be allowed to mingle under any circumstances.