The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced a major initiative to enhance experiential and creative learning by making Art-Integrated Project work mandatory for Classes I to X. This new guideline, applicable from the 2025–26 academic session, integrates art into the Subject Enrichment activities under Internal Assessment, with a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary and holistic education.
According to CBSE, every student from Classes I to X must undertake at least one Art-Integrated Project, incorporating any art form of the paired State/UT under the CBSE’s Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative. The objective is to foster national integration and promote awareness of cultural diversity while enhancing creative thinking.
For Classes IX and X, it is mandatory to undertake one Art-Integrated Project in each subject, and these will be evaluated as part of the Subject Enrichment component of internal assessment. The marks obtained in these projects for Class X will be collected by CBSE during the uploading of internal assessment scores. Schools are required to submit all relevant project details through the KALASETU Portal, the dates for which will be announced in due course. Completion of this step is essential before the school is allowed to download Board Exam 2025–26 admit cards.
CBSE has emphasized that these projects should be age-appropriate, aimed at nurturing students as independent thinkers and learners. To ensure successful execution, subject teachers and art teachers must collaborate and plan these projects well in advance at the beginning of the academic session. This approach will allow teachers to guide students effectively and ensure meaningful outcomes.
Additionally, CBSE has directed that the projects should be carried out in an eco-friendly manner, using locally available resources, with no financial burden placed on parents or guardians. The focus is on encouraging creative expression, sustainability, and resourcefulness.
This move is in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for an education system that is holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, and rooted in Indian values. Through this initiative, CBSE aims to transform classrooms into dynamic spaces where art becomes a medium of deeper understanding, engagement, and inclusive learning across subjects, for complete guidelines CLICK HERE
