National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, headquartered on Sri Aurobindo Marg in South Delhi. Established on 27 July 1961 and operational from 1 September 1961, it was formed by merging seven government organisations, including the Central Institute of Education and the Central Bureau of Textbook Research. NCERT's objective is to design and support a common national educational system while encouraging diverse cultural practices. It has produced multiple National Curriculum Frameworks over the decades (1975, 1988, 2000, 2005) and runs the National Talent Search Scheme, originally founded in 1963 as the National Science Talent Search Scheme. NCERT publishes textbooks used by CBSE and other state boards, and since 2018 has exclusive responsibility for publishing central textbooks. Its logo, designed in 1961, is based on a 3rd-century BCE Ashokan relic and features three intertwined swans symbolising research, training, and extension. Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani has been Director since February 2022, and in 2023 NCERT formed a 19-member committee to review curricula for classes 3 to 12.