The Digital India Milestone: Transforming Classrooms with NCERT’s ePathshala

Authored by Trainee Reporter: Adarsh

What is ePathshala?

ePathshala is a comprehensive digital platform launched in November 2015 by the Ministry of Education (formerly MHRD), Government of India, in partnership with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It is developed by the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET).

While it originally began as a repository for digitized textbooks and multimedia, it has actively evolved to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies to create an interactive, personalized, and future-ready learning ecosystem. It serves as a cornerstone of the Digital India campaign to bridge the digital learning divide across the nation.

Availability and Languages

• It hosts educational resources for teachers, students, parents, researchers, and educators, who can access it directly from Web, or is also available on Google Play, App Store, and Windows.

• The content is available in various languages such as English, Hindi, and Urdu.

Understanding NCERT and Its Constituent Units

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organization which was set up in 1961 by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education.

Major Objectives of NCERT:

• Undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education;

• Prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, newsletters, journals and develops educational kits, multimedia digital materials, etc. organise pre-service and in-service training of teachers;

• Develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices; collaborate and network with state educational departments, universities, NGOs and other educational institutions;

• Act as a clearing house for ideas and information in matters related to school education;

• Act as a nodal agency for achieving the goals of Universalisation of Elementary Education;

• Act as an implementation agency for bilateral cultural exchange programmes with other countries in the field of school education;

• Interact and works in collaboration with the international organizations, visiting foreign delegations and offers various training facilities to educational personnel from developing countries.

Major Constituent Units of NCERT:

The major constituent units of NCERT which are located in different regions of the country are:

• Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET)-New Delhi

• National Institute of Education (NIE)-New Delhi

• Pandit Sundarlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE)-Bhopal

• Regional Institute of Education (RIE)-Ajmer

• Regional Institute of Education (RIE)-Bhopal

• Regional Institute of Education (RIE)-Bhubaneswar

• Regional Institute of Education (RIE)-Mysore

• North-East Regional Institute of Education (NERIE)-Shillong

Core Objectives of ePathshala

Its core objective is to:

• Promote Digital Inclusion: Provide equitable, inclusive, and quality lifelong learning for all demographics.

• Reduce Physical Burden: Allow users to store and carry multiple textbooks electronically on a single small device.

• Ensure Open Access: Deliver free, unrestricted educational resources directly to remote or rural areas.

• Support Sustainable Development: Actively fulfill the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 for education.

Meeting the Needs of the Modern Education System

The platform was created to fulfill several primary needs in the modern education system:

• Bridging the Accessibility Gap: It eliminates the reliance on physical textbooks, allowing students in remote or underserved areas to access the same study materials as those in urban centers.

• Inclusivity for Special Needs: Built-in digital tools like Text-to-Speech (TTS), zoom features, and adjustable fonts make learning significantly more accessible for students with visual impairments or learning challenges like dyslexia.

• Multilingual Learning: Resources are provided in multiple languages (such as Hindi, English, and Urdu) to cater to diverse linguistic backgrounds.

• Interactive and Inclusive Education: Beyond static text, it offers audio, video, flipbooks, and interactive materials. It also features accessibility tools like Text-to-Speech (TTS) and font resizing, which significantly help students with visual impairments or specific learning disabilities.

• Comprehensive Resource Hub: It serves as a centralized location where not only students, but also teachers and educators, can find curricula, teaching instructions, and educational periodicals.

Tailored Interfaces for Four User Groups

The platform categorizes its interface and resources into four distinct user groups to create an inclusive academic ecosystem:

• Students: Students can access digital NCERT e-textbooks for classes 1–12, supplementary reading modules, audiobooks, and interactive videos. They can also participate in national contests, exhibitions, and workshops.

• Teachers: Teachers can download textbook PDFs, curricular sourcebooks, detailed teaching instructions, and specialized professional training modules.

• Parents: Parents can monitor and track defined learning outcomes, review academic goals, and access creative guides to support home-based learning.

• Educators & Researchers: Educators & Researchers retrieve national educational policies, committee reports, National Curriculum Frameworks (NCFs), and academic journals.