Goa Board to Implement NEP Across All Classes from 2026-27

Written by Intern Rency Gomes || Team Allycaral 

Panaji: Beginning the academic year 2026-27, the Goa government has decided to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) across all classes in state board-affiliated schools.

Until 2025-26, NEP guidelines were introduced at the nursery level, Class III, Class VI, and Classes IX and X. As per a circular issued by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), the policy will now extend to Classes I-II, IV-V and VII-VIII, ensuring full-scale implementation across grades.

Under the new framework, all students will be evaluated using a credit-based system, with each credit equivalent to 30 notional hours of learning.

The SCERT will provide newly developed NEP-aligned textbooks free of cost to all government and government-aided schools.

At the foundational stage (Classes I and II), students will study additional subjects such as art and craft, sports, yoga, reading and gardening activities alongside regular academic subjects. A common syllabus will be introduced for art and craft, sports and yoga.

For Classes I and II, there will be six periods per day, each lasting 40 minutes. Institutions must ensure a minimum of four instructional hours per day, including the morning assembly, excluding recess. Assessments for these classes will be conducted internally.

Students in Classes III to V must complete a minimum of 1,000 learning hours per year. To meet this requirement, 10 hours will be allocated for reading at home. These classes will follow an eight-period schedule per day, with each period lasting 40 minutes, ensuring a minimum of five instructional hours daily, including morning assembly and excluding recess.

For Classes VI to VIII, practical examinations will be conducted in the presence of an external examiner, as part of the revised evaluation structure.

The decision marks a significant step in aligning Goa’s state education system with the National Education Policy framework, focusing on holistic learning, structured evaluation and expanded subject exposure across all grade levels.