What NCERT does

NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) is India's apex government autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, responsible for school curriculum development, textbook preparation, and educational research. It serves CBSE-affiliated schools (32,900+), state education boards, and millions of students across Classes 1-12, operating as a public-good institution that distributes curriculum frameworks and textbooks free of cost. NCERT's mandate was significantly expanded on March 30, 2026, when the Ministry of Education notified it as a deemed-to-be university, enabling it to award its own degrees and launch postgraduate and doctoral programmes through its five Regional Institutes of Education in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru, and Shillong.

NCERT's core products include NEP 2020- and NCF 2023-aligned textbooks for Classes 1-12 (with a current production run exceeding 15 crore copies for the new Class 9 syllabus), the DIKSHA national digital education platform (18.56 crore enrolments, 2.13 crore registered users, 7,576 energised textbooks), free online courses on the SWAYAM platform (Classes 11 and 12, 11 subjects), and the e-Jaadui Patra AI companion app launched in 2026 with three multilingual conversational bots. In April 2026 NCERT also partnered with CBSE to launch a Computational Thinking and AI curriculum for Classes III to VIII. Approximately 4,000 expert contributors participate in textbook development, supported by an estimated Rs 100 crore annual content development budget.

NCERT operates a fully government-funded revenue model with no commercial sales to end users. Its textbooks and digital resources are distributed through the official NCERT website, a nationwide vendor network, regional sales counters, e-commerce platforms, and through CBSE/state board schools. Customer segments include school students (primary), teachers (via RIE programmes and in-service training), children with special needs (via UNICEF-partnered Career Cards), and state education departments. The organisation is currently undergoing significant expansion, including large-scale recruitment (290+ positions in 2026), new product lines (mandatory Physical Education, Vocational Education, AI literacy), and the launch of higher-education degree programmes following deemed university status.

Name

NCERT

Legal name

National Council of Educational Research and Training

Website

https://ncert.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) is India's apex government body for school curriculum, textbooks, and educational research, serving 32,900+ CBSE schools and millions of students with free NEP 2020-aligned content, the DIKSHA digital platform, and newly launched degree programmes under deemed university status.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Publishing & Curriculum Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National) (EDAJAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

OER Quality Review, Alignment & Certification (rubrics/standards) (EDAGAJAN), Digital/Interactive Curriculum Content (Apps, Games, Multimedia Lessons) (EDACAJAK), Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE), Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)

Keywords

• School textbooks
• Curriculum development
• Digital education platform
• Teacher training programs
• Educational resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Laguna Niguel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-funded public goods model: NCERT is a government-funded autonomous body under the Ministry of Education that develops and distributes curriculum frameworks, textbooks, and educational resources free of cost to students and schools. The organization receives government budgetary allocation and does not charge for its core educational products. NCERT's deemed university status enables it to award its own degrees while maintaining its mandate as a public good institution for school education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NCERT is India's apex government autonomous body that develops and publishes curriculum frameworks, textbooks, and digital educational resources aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and National Curriculum Framework 2023 for school students from Classes 1 to 12. It operates national digital education platforms (DIKSHA, SWAYAM), an AI-powered learning app (e-Jaadui Patra), and provides teacher training through five Regional Institutes of Education in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru, and Shillong.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e-Jaadui Patra: Digital companion app with AI bots to help parents and teachers explain subjects to children under eight
• Khel Praveen
• Ganita Manjari
• Ganga
• Kaveri
• Madhurima
• Kaushal Vikas

Products and services

• NCERT Class 9 Textbook Series (NEP 2020-aligned) Six textbooks for Class 9 covering Mathematics (Ganita Manjari), Hindi (Ganga), English (Kaveri), Arts (Madhurima), Physical Education (Khel Praveen), and Vocational Education (Kaushal Vikas), aligned with NEP 2020 and NCF 2023, provided free of cost to over 32,900 CBSE-affiliated schools and state board schools across India.
• e-Jaadui Patra App AI-powered digital learning companion app equipped with three conversational bots (Teacher Tara, Parent Tara, Katha Saki) that help parents and teachers explain subjects to children under eight by providing instant answers in multiple languages.
• SWAYAM Online Courses (Classes 11-12) Free online courses for Class 11 and 12 students covering 11 subjects including Accountancy, Biology, Chemistry, and Economics over a 21-week duration, delivered via the SWAYAM platform with video lectures, discussion forums, quizzes, self-assessment tools, and final certification.
• Career Cards for Children with Special Needs Set of 150 accessible career guidance cards developed jointly with UNICEF India, Pratham Education Foundation, and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, available in multiple formats including Braille, aligned with NEP 2020 inclusive education goals.
• NCERT CT & AI Curriculum Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence curriculum for Classes III to VIII developed jointly with CBSE, providing structured AI education at scale with learning modules, teacher handbooks, and student assessment frameworks.
• DIKSHA National Digital Education Platform India's national digital education repository integrating QR codes with physical NCERT textbooks, delivering digital learning content across 7,576 energised textbooks and scaled to 18.56 crore enrolments and 2.13 crore registered users.
• NCERT Teacher Education Programmes at Regional Institutes of Education Pre-service and in-service teacher education through five Regional Institutes of Education (Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru, Shillong) offering programmes including Integrated M.Sc.Ed., B.Ed., Integrated B.Ed.-M.Ed., M.A. in Education Technology, and M.Ed., with plans for MA and PhD programmes following deemed university status.

Quantifiable outcome

• DIKSHA platform achieved 18.56 crore enrolments and 2.13 crore registered users across 7,576 energised textbooks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Vivo India (vivo Ignite: Technology and Innovation Initiative)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 April 2026NCERT serves as a knowledge partner in Vivo India's flagship education initiative 'vivo Ignite: Technology and Innovation Initiative' (fourth edition), which invites school students from Grades 8 to 12 to develop technology-driven solutions for real-world challenges. The initiative saw over 37,000 registrations from 9,000+ schools across 660+ districts in its third edition and introduces new features including special weightage for students from aspirational districts, an 'Achiever 30' mentorship stage, and a Teacher Innovation Grant of ₹50,000 for educators.
• Science Olympiad FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Science Olympiad Foundation serves as a knowledge partner in the vivo Ignite: Technology and Innovation Initiative, supporting NCERT's role in fostering technology and innovation education among school students.
• UN Global Compact Network IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026UN Global Compact Network India serves as a knowledge partner in the vivo Ignite: Technology and Innovation Initiative, bringing international development and sustainability perspectives to school-level technology education.
• CBSEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026NCERT collaborated with CBSE to develop and launch the Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence (CT & AI) curriculum for Classes III to VIII, marked by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on April 1, 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The curriculum brings structured AI education into CBSE schools at scale, equipped with structured learning modules, teacher handbooks, and student assessment frameworks.
• UNICEF IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026UNICEF India collaborated with the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), NCERT, Pratham Education Foundation, and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities to launch 'Career Cards' for Children with Special Needs, providing accessible career guidance in multiple formats including Braille. The 150 newly adapted cards build upon an earlier 2024 initiative and are aligned with NEP 2020 goals.
• Pratham Education FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Pratham Education Foundation collaborated with DoSEL, NCERT, UNICEF India, and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities to develop 'Career Cards' for children with special needs, supporting inclusive education and career guidance aligned with NEP 2020.
• Department of Empowerment of Persons with DisabilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities partnered with DoSEL, NCERT, UNICEF India, and Pratham Education Foundation to launch 'Career Cards' for Children with Special Needs, providing accessible career guidance in multiple formats including Braille, aligned with NEP 2020 goals.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE): India's national school board and NCERT's principal downstream partner; CBSE adopts NCERT's curriculum frameworks and textbooks for its 32,900+ affiliated schools and co-develops initiatives such as the CT & AI curriculum.
• WestEd: US-based non-profit education research, development, and service organisation, comparable to NCERT's mandate to conduct educational research, develop curricula, and support teacher professional development.
• Education Development Center (EDC): Global non-profit working on curriculum, teacher training, and educational technology, comparable to NCERT in combining research, content production, and capacity-building for schools and teachers.

Regional players

• State Board of Secondary Education, Maharashtra: A state-level school board that adapts NCERT's national frameworks for its own syllabus, illustrating the tier of regional curriculum authorities that operate in NCERT's shadow and partially substitute its role at the state level.
• Eklavya Foundation: Indian non-profit developing supplementary K-12 educational content and teacher training materials, operating in a similar K-12 curriculum space as NCERT but at a regional and supplementary scale.

Emerging players

• Khan Academy: Global non-profit free educational content provider covering K-12 subjects, directly comparable to NCERT's free DIKSHA-hosted curriculum content and to NCERT's mission of free, high-quality learning materials.

Broad incumbents

• Byju's: India's largest private K-12 edtech company, competing for student learning time and supplementary content spend that NCERT's free DIKSHA and SWAYAM offerings also address.
• Pearson: Global educational publisher active in K-12 and higher-education content, comparable as a curriculum and assessment content provider and as a competitor for the private-school textbook replacement market NCERT serves through CBSE.
• McGraw Hill Education: Major K-12 and higher-education publisher with assessment and curriculum offerings, comparable as a private-publisher alternative to NCERT textbooks in Indian and international private schools.

Others

• Pratham Education Foundation: Large Indian education NGO that collaborates with NCERT on initiatives such as the 'Career Cards' for children with special needs and operates complementary learning programmes at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCERTorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncert-the-national-center-for-education-research-technology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NCERT