National Council of Educational Research and Training

. The Indian Ministry of Education established the NCERT on July 27, 1961, and the council began formal operation on September 1, 1961. It was formed through the merger seven government organizations: the Central Institute of Education, The Central Bureau of Textbook Research, the Central Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance, the Directorate of Extension Programmes for Secondary Education, the National Institute of Basic Education, the National Fundamental Education Centre, and the National Institute of Audio-Visual Education. It is separate from the National Council for Teacher Education. It is the objective of the NCERT to design and support a common system of education for the country that is national in character, as well as to enable and encourage the diverse cultural practices across the country as a whole. Based on the recommendations of the Education Commission(1964–66), the first national policy statement on education was issued in 1968. The policy endorsed the adoption of a uniform pattern of school education across the country consisting of 10 years of general education program followed by 2 years of diversified schooling. The NCERT is also behind the formation of the National Science Talent Search Scheme (NTSS) in the year 1963. The program was aimed at identifying, nurturing the talented students in India, and rewarding them with scholarships. The National Science Talent Search Scheme (NTSS) underwent a major change in the year 1976 with the introduction of the 10+2+3 pattern of education. The program was renamed to National Talent Search Scheme with the NTSE examination now being conducted for classes X, XI, and XII. Currently, the NTSE exam is conducted only for 10th class students in India in two phases with subjects relating to Mental Ability Test and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for 100 marks each. This framework came in 1975. It emphasized that a curriculum based on the principles laid out in the framework has to be developed on the basis of research.