The government has begun revising Nepal’s school curriculum for Grades 1 to 12, launching a nationwide consultation aimed at making classroom education more practical, relevant and responsive to emerging global and local challenges.

The Curriculum Development Centre said the review will update the National Curriculum Framework introduced in 2019, with recommendations expected to shape new textbooks and teaching materials for nearly seven million students enrolled in school education.

Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel said the revision seeks to produce a curriculum that is contemporary, life-oriented and effective, following a ministerial decision to overhaul the existing framework. A task force was formed in April to lead the review process.

Rather than drafting the curriculum behind closed doors, the ministry has pledged to incorporate suggestions from students, teachers, parents and local communities across the country.

“We are ending the practice of preparing the curriculum in isolation,” Pokharel said during provincial consultations in Madhesh Province. “The revised curriculum will reflect public feedback and the changing needs of society.”

The task force, led by Kathmandu University professor Balchandra Luitel, is collecting policy recommendations through consultations in all seven provinces. According to the CDC, the first phase covers 28 districts before expanding to all 77 Education Development and Coordination Units nationwide.

Purushottam Ghimire, information officer at the CDC, said the participatory approach is intended to ensure that those responsible for implementing the curriculum are involved in designing it.

“Instead of imposing a top-down curriculum, we are seeking the participation of teachers, students and citizens in shaping it,” Ghimire said.

To guide the revision, the task force has formed 12 thematic committees covering areas including artificial intelligence and information and communication technology, disaster risk reduction, indigenous knowledge systems, technical and vocational education, civic values, teaching and assessment methods, early childhood education, teacher preparation, and mother-tongue and medium-of-instruction policies.

Members of the task force said feedback gathered so far has consistently highlighted the need to reduce academic workload while making education more closely aligned with employment, entrepreneurship, ethics and practical life skills.

Stakeholders have also urged the government to formally incorporate artificial intelligence into school education, alongside greater emphasis on digital literacy and locally rooted knowledge.

The task force aims to complete consultations by September 16 before beginning curriculum drafting. Once approved by the Curriculum Development and Evaluation Council, chaired by the education minister, experts will prepare new learning materials and textbooks, which must receive CDC approval before being introduced in schools.