Odisha Eyes Curriculum Framework Restructuring to Ensure Uniformity in School Education

BHUBANESWAR: Currently in the middle of a storm over the large-scale errors in textbooks prescribed for elementary students, the Directorate of Teacher Education and SCERT may soon be entrusted with the responsibility to develop curriculum, textbooks and training materials for all classes from Shishu Vatika to Class XII. The recommendation forms part of the Odisha Curriculum Framework for School Education 2025, launched in September last year, which proposes a major restructuring of curriculum and textbook development in the state. At present, curriculum design, textbook preparation and teacher training for classes I to VIII are being handled by SCERT, while the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) oversees these functions for classes IX and X. Similarly for classes XI and XII, the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) is responsible for curriculum and training, while textbooks are developed by the Textbook Bureau under the Higher Education department. The framework recommends consolidating these functions under a strengthened SCERT, aligned with the structure of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), to ensure uniformity and continuity in school education. It also proposes strengthening the Directorate of Textbook Production and Marketing (TBPM) to undertake printing of textbooks and learning materials for all classes from Shishu Vatika to Class XII.