The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced a new Class 9 English textbook that reduces the syllabus and includes more texts by Indian authors.

The textbook, titled Kaveri, replaces the earlier books Beehive and Moments, which were used in schools from the 2006–07 to the 2025–26 academic sessions.

According to officials, the number of textbooks for the subject has been reduced from two to one, while the number of texts has been cut from 29 to 16. The revised book includes an equal number of texts by Indian and international authors.

Among the Indian writers featured in the book are Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, Rajya Sabha MP and author Sudha Murty, Naga writer Temsula Ao, Assamese novelist Mitra Phukan and poet Rabindranath Tagore.

The book opens with a story from How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories, written by Sudha Murty and published in 2004.

Prepared in line with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023, the textbook also incorporates elements of Indian Knowledge Systems.

The international writers included in the book are American poet David Roth, English poet Charles Swain, American children’s writer Bryanna T. Perkins, poet Robert Langley, writer Maya Anthony and Singapore-based author Irene Chua.

The textbook also features an anonymous poem titled Gifts of Grace: Honouring Our Vocations and an interview-based piece, The World of Limitless Possibilities, based on a conversation with Paralympic athlete Deepa Malik.

Inputs from PTI

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