PANAJI
After completing the phased implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from Classes I to X, the Goa government is set to take the next major step by introducing the policy for Class XI from the academic year 2027-28, allowing students greater flexibility in choosing subjects instead of being confined to traditional Science, Commerce and Arts streams.
The State will also introduce NEP-aligned NCERT textbooks for Class IX from the next academic year.
Announcing the roadmap during the sixth anniversary celebrations of NEP implementation, organised under the Goa Shiksha Samagam, Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Meghana Shetgaonkar, said the secondary stage would be the next major focus area of the State's education reforms.
"The next major area of work is the secondary school education. NEP aligned textbooks will be introduced for grade 9 and NEP implementation of grade XI will commence from academic year 2027-28. The secondary stage under NEP 2020 requires us to move beyond rigid academic streams and provide students with greater flexibility in subject choices. This transition requires careful planning," Shetgaonkar said.
She said schools would require guidance on subject combinations, teacher availability, infrastructure, academic counselling and student orientation before the rollout. "Learners and parents will also need support to make informed choices based on aptitude, interests and future aspirations," she added.
She said that in order to prepare the education system for the transition, SCERT will focus extensively on capacity building of teachers and school heads and for which SCERT is being upgraded into a Talent Development Centre with state-of-the-art laboratories and studios being established to enable teacher training within Goa.
She emphasised that collaboration between school and higher education institutions would play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the reforms.
Reflecting on the six-year journey of NEP implementation, Shetgaonkar said that the last six years have taught that implementation of NEP 2020 is not a one-time exercise but a continuous process of planning, capacity building, monitoring and reflection.
Goa has so far introduced NEP in phases. The foundational stage began with Balvatika-I in 2023-24, followed by Balvatika-II and further expansion in subsequent years. During the 2025-26 academic year, the policy was extended to Class VI, IX and X, while in 2026-27 it covered Classes I, II, IV, V, VII and VIII.
She said that at present, Classes I to VIII are following the new NCERT curriculum, while Classes IX and X continue under the existing syllabus. Shetgaonkar said that reforms have introduced activity-based, learner-centric teaching, competency-based common summative examinations and a Digital Holistic Progress Card that goes beyond reporting examination marks.
