West Bengal’s NEP 2020 Push: State to Sign NCERT Pact, New Textbooks Coming in 2028

 

West Bengal is moving towards the full implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and is preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to support the process.

State School Education Minister Dipak Barman announced the plan on Monday while addressing a state-level workshop attended by district inspectors of schools and education department officials at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town.

Barman acknowledged that West Bengal was “somewhat behind” in implementing NEP 2020 but said the state was working to complete the process as quickly as possible.

NCERT to Support Teachers and Schools

Under the proposed MoU, NCERT will provide teacher orientation programmes, technical guidance and academic support to help West Bengal implement the new education framework.

The minister said NCERT's assistance would be aimed at addressing challenges ranging from technical issues to implementing the policy at the school level.

The collaboration is expected to provide teachers and education officials with greater support as the state transitions towards the NEP framework.

New Textbooks to Be Introduced in 2028

Barman said the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) will serve as the basis for developing the state's curriculum and textbooks.

The framework will guide decisions on what students learn, how subjects are taught and how learning outcomes are assessed.

The state's syllabus committee will also take guidance from the NCF while preparing the curriculum.

According to Barman, textbooks developed under the new framework are expected to be introduced from the 2028 academic year. NCERT will provide support during the development process.

Private Schools Asked to Update UDISE+ Data

The minister also raised concerns over incomplete student data on the UDISE+ portal, particularly among private schools.

UDISE+ is the central government's school education database, through which institutions provide information on students, teachers and school infrastructure.

Barman said a large number of private schools had not uploaded student-related information. As a result, the database was showing some schools as having teachers but no students, despite those institutions operating normally.

He said the discrepancy was largely due to technical or other reasons and did not reflect the actual situation on the ground.

The state government has urged private schools to upload their complete information so that the UDISE+ database provides a more accurate picture of school enrolment and infrastructure in West Bengal.

State to Follow Its Own College Policies

Asked about the composition of college governing bodies and whether MLAs, MPs or ministers could have a role, Barman said West Bengal would follow its existing policies and procedures.

He said the state had its own system, policies and traditions and would not interfere in matters outside its framework.

The proposed NCERT partnership marks a significant step in West Bengal's effort to accelerate NEP 2020 implementation, with teacher training, curriculum reform and updated learning resources expected to form key parts of the transition.