Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Oct 29: Goa is preparing to introduce greater flexibility in subject selection at the higher secondary level, allowing students entering Class XI from the 2027-28 academic year to choose subjects across traditional Science, Commerce and Arts streams under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is finalising the structural guidelines and implementation roadmap for extending NEP to Class XI. Detailed instructions covering curriculum, assessment patterns and evaluation rubrics are expected to be issued to educational institutions by December.

SCERT Director Meghana Shetgaonkar said the committee responsible for preparing the Goa State Curriculum Framework for the Secondary Stage and drafting an action plan for introducing NEP in Class XI had completed its work.

“There is a big action plan that we are working on. By December, structural guidelines on the assessment pattern, rubrics and other NEP-related curriculum for Class IX will be shared with all secondary institutions,” she said.

SCERT has divided the secondary stage into two phases: Classes IX and X, followed by Classes XI and XII, to facilitate the transition. Under the proposed framework, students entering Class XI from 2027-28 will have greater freedom to select subjects across conventional streams, reflecting NEP's emphasis on multidisciplinary learning.

The rollout will be phased, with the policy extended to Class XII in the 2028-29 academic year to ensure continuity for students who begin the revised curriculum in Class XI.

In another significant change, Goa will introduce NCERT-based textbooks for Class IX from the next academic year. The revised textbooks will subsequently be introduced for Class X in 2028-29.

Although NEP has already been implemented for Classes IX and X, students continue to use the existing textbooks. The introduction of NCERT-based learning materials is expected to bring classroom teaching into closer alignment with the policy's competency-based approach.