NCERT National Council of Educational Research and Training

The full form of NCERT is National Council for Educational Research and Training is an apex organisation which is set up by the Indian Government to advise and assist the State on academic matters related to school education. Founded in 1961, it is an autonomous body whose motto, taken from the Isha Upanishad, means 'life eternal through learning'.

Textbooks published by NCERT are prescribed by the CBSE from classes 1to 12, with few exceptions, which are among the least expensive study material in all of India. 

The NCERT has made several impactful changes in the modern education system, for instance, by bringing about an order of CCE (Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation) and several NCFs (National Curriculum Framework), which have mostly paved the way for improved and modernised learning. An online system named e-pathshala has been developed for disseminating e-resources such as textbooks, ensuring their free access through the web. 

The NCERT being such an essential figure in the education of so many students have faced a large share of criticism and controversy in that it seems to reflect the views of the ruling political party. Most recently, in 2012, under the Bharatiya Janata Party, it came under the public eye for publishing 'offensive' cartoons against B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution. That being said, the NCERT remains widely accepted and is usually the prescribed syllabus for nationwide entrance examinations such as the NEET, JEE and ICAR. The NCERT books are more or less responsible for a nearly uniform level of education in all parts of India.