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Journalism of Courage
The Ministry of Education recently released the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF), which has been developed on the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. With several new suggestions such as the introduction of a semester system in Class 12 board exams, the flexibility of subjects in secondary education and more, the Ministry is now seeking feedback from students, parents, teachers, educators, and other professionals to improve upon the pre-draft of the NCF for School Education (NCF-SE).
Here are some of the main suggestions made by the National Steering Committee under the chairpersonship of Dr K Kasturirangan:
Class 10
The expert panel has suggested that to complete Class 10, students should complete two essential courses from each of the eight curricular areas available, that is, a total of 16 essential courses across two years of Class 9 and 10. The curricular areas would be Humanities (that includes languages), Mathematics and Computing, Vocational Education, Physical Education, Arts, Social Science, and Science.
It has also been clarified that there will be no change in the exam pattern of Classes 9 and 10, and students will continue to appear for an annual exam, rather than introducing a semester system. “A semester structure in these classes is possible to construct but is unnecessary since all students will do all the essential courses,” the draft stated.
Class 12
A major change that has been suggested in these draft guidelines is introducing a semester system in Class 12 board exams.
During the pandemic years, the majority of the Indian state boards and the national boards (CBSE, CISCE) had switched to a semester system for board exams, given the difficulty the boards were facing in completing the syllabus on time and conducting exams. However, now the majority of the Indian education boards have shifted back to the annual board exam system, abandoning the semester pattern.
The National Education Policy, 2020 suggests that students should slowly be introduced to semester exams in board exams classes too. “Modular Board Examinations will be offered as opposed to a single examination at the end of the year. The final certification will be based on the cumulative result of each of the examinations,” the NCF draft states.
Further suggestions also state that students should be allowed to appear for the exams when they feel ready. “Board examinations should be offered at least twice a year to ensure that students have both enough time and opportunity to perform well. Students can then appear for a board examination in courses they have completed and feel ready for. This process could be made possible through the creation of a comprehensive test item bank which can be used to create tests using suitable software,” the draft read.
Another big change that this year’s NCF suggests is giving students the flexibility to choose their subjects in higher education, rather than picking up pre-selected subjects. The draft suggests that when students choose a discipline, they have to complete four choice-based courses in that discipline, but all subjects should not be limited to it.
“By gaining knowledge of the key conceptual structures and theories of the discipline, and developing capacities of inquiry in that discipline, students can make informed decisions about the pursuit of this discipline in higher education,” the draft states.
The draft also explains this with an example: if a student chooses Science (Curricular Area) and Physics (Discipline) within that, she must complete all four courses in Physics. She could then choose Arts as the second Curricular Area and do four courses in Music. Mathematics could be the third Curricular Area with four courses in Mathematics. The fourth set of courses could be from one of the three Curricular Areas already chosen or from a completely different one.
This flexibility, if simply explained, means that if a student chooses Biology, then it cannot be assumed that the student would like to enroll in Physics or Chemistry too.
“The intention should be not to “cover” all the important concepts in that discipline. This would result in a very high content load. Instead, the design should focus on some key conceptual structures and theories in that discipline, along with an adequate emphasis on the methods of inquiry in that discipline,” NCF draft further adds.
Schools have also been instructed to make arrangements of providing at least one curricular area from each of the following categories:
Category 1: Humanities or Social Science or Science or Mathematics and Computing
Category 2: Inter-disciplinary Areas
Category 3: Arts or Sports or Vocational Education
Additional support for students with disability or other individual learning needs
The NCF draft also suggests teachers pay attention to students in class and ensure that every child gets equal opportunities. “During the normal course of teaching, based on routine observations and assessments, teachers could identify those students that may require additional support or individualized attention. This in no way should lead to labelling students as “bright”, “slow” or “problem” students nor does it imply “lowering” of standards,” it states.
To ensure this, the NCF draft has suggested a ‘bridge’ course for a month or so at the beginning of the year which will enable students to refresh their previously learnt concepts and prepare for the new class. The draft has also suggested introducing a ‘Buddy system’ in which teachers can pair a child who needs help with another child who can provide help informally, when it comes to homework, explaining class work, projects etc.
More one-on-one discussions have also been suggested to ensure the identification of conceptual problems or learning difficulties or individual needs of all children.
