Goa board to implement NEP for all classes from 2026-27

Panaji: From the new academic year 2026-27, state govt has decided to implement National Education Policy (NEP) recommendations in all classes of the state board affiliated school.Until 2025-26, NEP was implemented at nursery level, in Class III, Class VI, and in Classes IX and X. From the new session, it will also be implemented in Classes I-II, Classes IV-V, and Classes VII-VIII, the circular issued by the Goa State Educational Research and Training (SCERT) states.All students will be evaluated as per a credit-based system, with each credit equivalent to 30 notional hours of learning.The SCERT will provide the newly developed NEP-aligned textbooks books to all govt and govt-aided schools free of cost, the Council has announced.Students of Classes I and II, apart from the regular subjects, will also now study art & craft, sports, yoga, reading and gardening activities as subjects. A common syllabus for art & craft, sports, and yoga subjects will be provided, the SCERT has said.“There will be six periods per day. Each period shall be of 40 minutes duration. All institutions shall ensure a minimum of four instructional hours per day, including the morning assembly, at the Foundational Stage (Grade 1 & 2), excluding recess,” the circular states.All assessments will be internally carried out for these Classes I-II.“Students of Grades 3 to 5 are required to complete a minimum of 1,000 learning hours per year; therefore, 10 hours will need to be utilised for reading at home. This arrangement may be necessary to align the timetable of Grade 5 with that of Grades 6 to 10, as Grade 5 is structurally attached to middle and secondary schools that follow an eight-period schedule per day,” the SCERT has said.These classes will ensure a minimum of five instructional hours per day, including the morning assembly, excluding recess.There will be eight periods per day. Each period shall be of 40 minutes duration.“For Grades 6 to 8, the practical examination will be conducted in the presence of an external examiner,” the SCERT has said.