Climate change and sustainability: a critical analysis of Indian curriculum

Environmental education is increasingly recognized as a critical component in fostering sustainable thinking and climate resilience among students. In India, educational policy has progressively evolved to embed climate change and sustainability across the school curriculum. Key milestones such as the National Policy on Education (1986), the Supreme Court’s 2003 mandate, and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, alongside NCF 2005, reflect a growing institutional commitment. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has developed structured curricular content in science and social science for secondary education, yet much of it remains content-heavy, limiting critical inquiry and experiential learning. This study follows a qualitative, rooted in documentary analysis, aiming to explore how climate change and sustainability are represented within India’s secondary education policies and NCERT curriculum materials. It is non-empirical and draws exclusively on secondary data sources, including national policy documents and NCERT textbooks and syllabi for Classes VI to X. Using qualitative content analysis, the study maps relevant content, interprets interdisciplinary integration, and evaluates alignment with sustainable development Goal 4.7 (Education for Sustainable Development). The findings highlight climate change and sustainability related topics are taught in Science and Social Science subjects by adapting interdisciplinary approach but, there is a need to strengthen teacher capacity, embed systems thinking, and promote action-oriented pedagogies that move beyond awareness to transformative environmental education.