Free Textbooks Reach J&K Government Schools in the First Week of November: What Changes for Classes 1, 2, 3 and 6

Quick facts

• When: free distribution to government schools in all education zones begins in the first week of November 2026.
• Who gets revised books: Classes 1, 2, 3 and 6, revised under NEP-2020.
• Print run: based on UDISE data plus 10 per cent, covering government and private schools.

What changes in the books

JKBOSE chairman Ghulam Hassan Sheikh told Greater Kashmir that Classes 1 and 2 now have only Mathematics, English, Urdu and Kashmiri, in line with the foundational-stage framework, while Environmental Science, combining Social Science and Science, starts from Class 3. He said too heavy an academic burden early on could "leave students disinterested in studies".

How the books reach schools

JKBOSE sends books to education zones; the concerned Zonal Educational Officers handle the last step to schools. The new academic session, the report says, begins in the first week of November. The report does not give Jammu-specific dates or depots. Revisions for other classes are expected "hopefully" by the 2027-28 session.

The chairman also noted that JKBOSE textbooks are mandatory for private schools. Parents with a Class 1, 2, 3 or 6 child should ask the school for the revised edition rather than last year's.

Source: Greater Kashmir, Oct 16, 2026.