NCERT clarifies Class 9 Maths syllabus changes, says no topics were dropped

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) clarified changes in the draft Class 9 Mathematics syllabus on 25 September 2026. The council stated that no overall topics were removed from the syllabus, but rather, some concepts that appeared to be missing were integrated into other chapters.

This clarification comes amidst concerns raised by teachers and students regarding specific topics and changes observed in the draft syllabus. The NCERT indicated that the syllabus currently in circulation is a draft released to seek feedback from teachers, students, and other stakeholders, with the final Class 9 Mathematics syllabus expected to be released in October.

Integration of Mathematical Concepts

NCERT detailed how various mathematical concepts are covered across the curriculum. Key ideas and applications related to Lines and Angles are introduced in the Grade 6 Ganita Prakash textbook and continue in Class 9 through chapters on Proportionality and Theorems. Quadrilaterals are covered in Chapter 12 of the Class 9 Mathematics textbook.

Concepts related to polygons, circles, parallel lines, and intersecting lines are covered across Chapters 5, 6, 9, 12, and 13 for Euclidean geometry. The council decided not to retain a separate abstract chapter focused on axioms, theorems, and proofs after consultations with teachers and educators. A chapter on algorithms is included in the draft syllabus, linked by NCERT to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s emphasis on computational thinking. A standalone AI module is being developed, with mathematical concepts supporting AI introduced through Mathematics.

Curriculum Design and Competency-Based Education

The curriculum under NEP 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 is structured around Curricular Goals, Competencies, and Learning Outcomes. Curricular Goals outline broad learning objectives, Competencies define what students should be able to achieve, and Learning Outcomes provide observable milestones for teaching, learning, and assessment. Textbooks are among the resources used to achieve these objectives.

NCERT stated that assessing curriculum coverage by counting textbook chapters or headings does not reflect the approach of competency-based education. The draft syllabus was published to invite feedback from teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholders, with the final Class 9 Mathematics syllabus expected to be released by NCERT and CBSE.

Concerns over Textbook Availability

Despite the clarifications on syllabus content, Class 9 Hindi-medium students still await Maths and Science books. NCERT announced on 25 April 2026, that Class 9 books were available online in PDF format. However, teachers and students have reported difficulties, particularly for Hindi-medium materials.

Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director NCERT, stated, “Hindi version of grade 9th textbooks are under development and very soon these will be available online as well as offline. For rest of the classes all the books are available in both formats.” He added, “Now quite a good number of textbooks have already been printed and being made available through our multiple and robust marketing mechanism. There should be no shortage now.” A Mathematics teacher at a Delhi government school noted, “The Hindi medium Mathematics book is still unavailable, not even as a PDF. Every day I am translating sums, definitions and examples from the English book while teaching.” Another teacher highlighted, “Unit tests are expected in the second week of July and half-yearly examinations will take place in September. Students are entering the vacation without books, without solved examples and without proper practice material.” A Class 9 student from Delhi expressed, “English medium students at least have PDFs, but we do not even have that. We are borrowing photographs of pages and sharing them through mobile phones.”

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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