Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has begun preparations for implementing the next phase of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 by constituting two expert committees to oversee reforms at the higher secondary level.
The committees will guide the introduction of the revised academic framework for Classes XI and XII, with the new system set to be introduced in Class XI from the 2027-28 academic year.
One panel has been assigned the task of developing the Goa State Curriculum Framework for the secondary stage and preparing an action plan for the rollout of NEP in higher secondary education. The second committee will evaluate the adoption of NCERT textbooks for Class IX and recommend measures for their implementation from the next academic session.
SCERT Director Meghana Shetgaonkar said the council is working on a detailed implementation roadmap and expects to issue comprehensive guidelines to higher secondary schools by September.
The proposed guidelines will outline changes in curriculum design, assessment methods, evaluation rubrics and other academic procedures required for the transition to the new education framework.
One of the key reforms under NEP 2020 is the introduction of flexible subject combinations at the higher secondary level. Students entering Class XI from the 2027-28 academic year will be able to select subjects across disciplines instead of being restricted to the traditional Science, Commerce and Arts streams.
According to SCERT, the transition will be carried out in phases. While the revised framework will be introduced in Class XI in 2027-28, it will be extended to Class XII in the following academic year to ensure continuity for students.
The State also plans to replace the existing textbooks in Class IX with NCERT publications from the next academic year. Similar changes for Class X are scheduled for the 2028-29 academic session as part of the phased implementation strategy.
Although NEP has already been introduced in Classes IX and X, schools continue to use the earlier textbooks. The shift to NCERT material is intended to align classroom teaching with the policy’s emphasis on competency-based learning and multidisciplinary education.
Goa has been implementing NEP in stages since 2023-24, beginning with Balvatika-I. The reforms were subsequently expanded to Classes VI, IX and X in 2025-26, followed by Classes I, II, IV, V, VII and VIII in 2026-27. Students from Classes I to VIII are currently studying under the NCERT-based curriculum, with higher secondary education set to become the next focus of the State’s education reforms.
