Thrissur: The first-grade textbook introduced this academic year as part of Kerala's curriculum reform is set to be revised again following criticism that the content is unsuitable for young learners. A recent textbook design workshop for the upcoming academic year was held in Kozhikode to address these concerns.

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) collected feedback on newly revised textbooks for grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 from teachers through Google Forms. Based on the responses, SCERT will implement further revisions. Representatives from SCERT, textbook committee members, and first-grade teachers from various districts participated in the discussion.

Teachers reported that the updated first-grade textbook has not received the same level of acceptance among students as last year’s version. According to them, the revised book lacks engaging qualities that previously made learning enjoyable. The main concern is an excess of content that can overwhelm young students.

Teachers noted that completing even the first lesson now takes months, with an overload of learning activities that cause students to lose interest. School days missed for various reasons also make it difficult to complete lessons on time. The activity book’s heavy workload leaves little time for other classroom experiences. Alongside the textbook, the activity book and teacher’s guide will also be revised.

SCERT claims this is the first time in the state that a textbook is being revised based on teacher and student feedback. However, teachers are questioning who will address the learning difficulties this year’s first graders faced due to these experimental changes.