NATIONAL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK 2005

(NCF 2005)

By Indu Goswami

NCF 2005 - BACKGROUND

It is the outcome of a mountain of labor spread over ten months of 21 National Focus Groups supervised by a National Steering Committee and chaired by well-known scientist & former chairman of University Grants Commission Prof. Yash Pal. The steering committee comprising 35 highly respected educationists — professors, NGO leaders, school teachers, intellectuals from across the country — edited, abridged and incorporated the recommendations of the 21 focus groups into the draft NCF 2005

NCF 2005 – AIMS OF EDUCATIONBased on our Constitution’s Vision of India:

Independence of thought and actionLearning to respond to new situations flexibly

and creativelyPre-disposition for participation in democratic

processes & social changeEmpower All children to learn

A MOTHER’S RESPONSE

“Our syllabus gets more massive and moves beyond the teaching capacity of the teachers so they rush through the contents with tedious methodology. Students cannot meet the attention span requirement in the classrooms and either fail at comprehension or blank out into daydreaming. Newer topics of many different subjects are covered even before the previous ones have been chewed over.

The burden of the syllabus is then passed on to the

parents or tuition classes. Little children burdened with loads of ‘education’ on their shoulders trip from school to tuition classes, bypassing childhood. A section of students study harder and harder to beat each other to the top slot. Majority of the students are hounded by parents and teachers to study harder and become stressed, some requiring even clinical treatment.”

NCF 2005 – NATIONAL FOCUS GROUPS PerspectivesLearning & KnowledgeCurricular Areas & AssessmentSystematic Reforms

PERSPECTIVES - GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Connecting knowledge to the life outside of schoolLearning shifts away from roteCurriculum enrichment – going beyond the textbooksMaking exams more flexible by integrating them with

classroom lifeNurturing a caring identity

PERSPECTIVESThe Child as Learner & What should be Learnt

NCF Perspectives Commonly Held Views

All children are motivated -> Not true of large numbers of & capable of learning childrenChildren learn in a variety -> Children learn in limited way of ways Child as a ‘critical’ learner -> Child as passive imbibers and as the constructor of of textbook information & of knowledge providing set answers to all

questionsDeveloping capacity for -> Developing generally only

abstract thinking, reflection skills necessary to helping & work are most important students pass or excel in aspects of learning examinations.

LEARNING & KNOWLEDGELocal Knowledge is rich source of learning for All

Children

Knowledge brought into school – home language

Integrating outside world and school – natural environment

Integrating outside world and school – cultural environment

LEARNING & KNOWLEDGEFocuses on the child as an active learnerRecognizes need for developing a enabling

environment Highlights the value of interaction with: environment, peers, older people to enhance learning; Learning tasks must be designed to

enable children to seek out knowledge from sites other than textbooks.

Need to move away from the rigid lesson planning to planning and designing activities that challenge children to think and try out what they are learning.

CURRICULUM AREAS & ASSESSMENTS

Traditional Other Areas

Language *Art EducationMathematics *Health & Physical Science *Education for PeaceSocial Sciences *Habitat & Learning

CURRICULUM AREAS & ASSESSMENTS - LANGUAGE

Three language formula reaffirmed –

importance of home language as a medium of instruction

Multi-Lingualism as resource – learning needs to build a sound language pedagogy of mother tongue

Position of English and recommendationsAchieve basic English proficiency in 8 years of

elementary education within four years

CURRICULUM AREAS & ASSESSMENTS -MATHEMATICS

• A majority of children have a sense of fear & failure of Math's: they tend to give up early.

• Textbooks are replete with problems, exercises and methods of evaluation which are repetitive and mechanical

Focus on child’s ability to think and reason Visualize and handle abstractions Formulate and solve problems

CURRICULUM AREAS & ASSESSMENTS -SCIENCE Science should nurture curiosity & creativity

particularly in relationship to environment

Science teaching should be placed in the context of children’s environment to help them to examine and analyze their everydayexperiences

Awareness of environmental concerns by involving outdoor project work. Environment education to be made part of every subject

CURRICULUM AREAS & ASSESSMENTS –SOCIAL SCIENCESEquip children to think critically on social issues

Recognize disciplinary markers so that content is not eroded, but also emphasizes integration of themes.

Recommends paradigm shift to study social sciences from the perspective of marginalized groups

Gender justice and sensitivity to the issues of tribal and socially deprived groups, and minority sensibilities must inform all sectors of social sciences.

Significance of history – conception of past and civic identity

NCF 2005 – OTHER AREAS

Art Education: Covers four major spheres of music, dance, visual arts and theatre. Focus on interactive approaches, not instruction – because goal is to

promote aesthetic awareness and enable children to express themselves in different forms

Health & Physical Education: Success in school depends on nutrition and well planned physical

activities

NCF 2005 – OTHER AREAS (CONTD.)

Education for Peace:As a precondition for national development in view of growing tendency towards intolerance and violence.

Habitat and Learning: Work should be infused in all subjects from primary stage upwards

Agencies offering work opportunities outside the school should be formally recognized.

NCF 2005 – SYSTEMATIC REFORMS

Covers need for academic planning for monitoring quality

Reaffirms faith in local self government Teacher education should focus on

developing professional identity of the teacher

Examination reforms to reduce the psychological stress, particularly on children in Class X and XII

Teacher-centric - >Teacher direction and - > decisions Teacher guidance and - > monitoring

Learning passive - > receptionLearning within four - > wallsKnowledge as “given” - > and fixed

Learner-centricLearner autonomy

Facilitates supports and encourages learningActive participation in learningLearning in wider social contextKnowledge evolves is created

TEACHER EDUCATION FOR CURRICULUM RENEWAL (MAJOR SHIFTS)

NCF 2005 – WAY FORWARD

Development of syllabi and textbooks based on following

considerations:

Appropriateness of topics and themes for relevant stages of children’s development

Continuity from one level to the next Pervasive resonance of the values enshrined in the

Constitution of India in organization of knowledge in all subjects

Inter-disciplinary and thematic linkages between topics listed for different school subjects, which fall under discrete disciplinary areas

WAY FORWARD (CONTD.)

Linkages between school knowledge in different subjects and children’s everyday experiences

Infusion of environment related knowledge and concern in all subjects and at all levels

Sensitivity to gender, caste and class parity, peace, health and needs of children with disabilities

Integration of work related attitudes and values in every subject and at all levels

Need to nurture aesthetic sensibility and values

THANK YOU