NCERT Makes Art Compulsory, Introduces Theatre, Music, Drama From Class 8

From the academic session 2025–26, Class 8 students will see a major change in their curriculum. NCERT has announced that theatre, music, and drama will be added as regular subjects, while art will be made compulsory for everyone.

This effort is based on the reforms proposed by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. In order to provide students with a well-rounded and balanced education that combines scholarly learning with artistic and creative expression.

New Textbooks to Facilitate the Transition

To support this transition, NCERT has launched a new textbook titled ‘Kriti’, designed specifically for teaching visual and performing arts. It will cover the basics of theatre, drama, music, and fine arts, encouraging active participation and creativity among students.

In addition to Kriti, NCERT has also rolled out:

‘Poorvi’ – the revised English textbook for Class 8

'Malhar' – a new Hindi textbook for the same class

New textbooks for Class 5 are 'Santoor' for English and 'Veena' for Hindi

All these books follow the NCF-SE 2023 and seek to bring language and art education in schools up to date.

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A Push for Creative Growth

With art being a compulsory subject now, the students will need to learn and pass it to get promoted to the subsequent academic year. Art would be given the same status as math or science—necessary for educational advancement.

Aligned with NEP Vision

This reform is a major milestone in achieving the vision of NEP 2020, which focuses on experiential learning, creativity, and holistic development. By embedding the arts in deep ways in school education, NCERT is trying to develop students who are not only academically capable but also emotionally communicative and culturally enlightened.