Salient features of NCF2005

    

Salient Features of National Curriculum Framework 2005

Introduction:

NPE 1986, assigned a special role to NCERT in preparing and promoting NCF.Yash Pal Committee Report, ‘Learning without Burden’ (1993) observes that learning has become a source of burden and stress on children and their parents.Considering these observations, Executive Committee of NCERT decided at its meeting of July 14, 2004, to revise the National Curriculum Framework.The process of development of NCF was initiated in November, 2004 by setting up various structures like National Steering Committee Chaired by Prof. Yash Pal and twenty-one National Focus Groups on themes of curricular areas, systemic reforms and national concerns.Wide ranging deliberations and inputs from multiple sources involving different levels of stakeholders helped in shaping the draft of NCF.The draft NCF was translated into 22 languages listed in the VIII Schedule of the Constitution. The translated versions were widely disseminated and consultations with stakeholders at district and local level helped in developing the final draft.The NCF was approved by Central Advisory Board on Education in September, 2005.

Vision and Perspective

To uphold values enshrined in the Constitution of IndiaTo reduce of curriculum loadTo ensure quality education for allTo initiate certain systemic changes

 Guiding Principles

Connecting knowledge to life outside the SchoolEnsuring that learning is shifted away from rote methodsEnriching curriculum so that it goes beyond Text BookMaking Examination more flexible and non-threateningDiscuss the aims of educationBuilding commitment to democratic values of equality, justice, secularism and freedom.

Focus on child as an active learner

Primacy to children’s experience, their voices and participationNeeds for adults to change their perception of children as passive receiver of knowledgeChildren can be active participants in the construction of knowledge and every child come to with pre-knowledgeChildren must be encouraged to relate the learning to their immediate environmentEmphasizes that gender, class, creed should not be constraints for the childHighlights the value of IntegrationDesigning more challenging activities

Curricular areas, school stages and Assessment

Recommends significant changes in Maths, Natural Sciences, Social SciencesOverall view to reduce stress, make education more relevant, meaningful

 1. Languages

To implement 3-language formulaEmphasis on mother tongue as medium of instructionCurriculum should contain multi-lingual proficiency only if mother tongue is considered as second languageFocus on all skillsMathematicsTeaching of Mathematics to focus on child’s resources to think and reason, to visualize abstractions and to solve problems.SciencesTeaching of science to focus on methods and processes that will nurture thinking process, curiosity and creativity.Social SciencesSocial sciences to be considered from disciplinary perspective with rooms for:Integrated approach in the treatment of significant themesEnabling pedagogic practices for promoting thinking process, decision making and critical reflection.Draws attention on four other areas

a. Art Education: covers music, dance, visual arts and theatre which on interactive approaches not instruction aesthetic awareness and enable children to express themselves in different forms.

b. Health and Physical Education: Health depends upon nutrition and planned physical activities.

c. Education for Peace: As a precondition to snub growing violence and intolerance

f. Work and Education: As it can create a social temper and agencies offering work opportunities outside the school should be formally recognized.

School and Classroom environment

Critical pre-requisites for improved performance – minimum infrastructure and material facilities and support for planning a flexible daily scheduleFocus on nurturing an enabling environmentRevisits tradition notions of disciplineDiscuss needs for providing space to parents and communityDiscuss other learning sites and resources like Texts and Books, Libraries and laboratories and media and ICTAddresses the need for plurality of material and Teacher autonomy/professional independence to use such material.

 Systemic Reforms

Covers needs for academic planning for monitoring qualityTeacher education should focus on developing professional identity of the TeacherExamination reforms to reduce psychological stress particularly on children in class X and XII

Examination reforms highlight:

Shift from content based testing to problem solving and competency based assessmentExaminations of shorter durationFlexible time limitChange in typology of questionsNo public examination till class VIIIClass X board exam to be made optional (in long term)

Teacher Education Reforms emphasize on preparation of teacher to

View learning as a search for meaning out of personal experience, and knowledge generation at a continuously evolving process of reflective learning.View knowledge not as an external reality embedded in textbooks, but as constructed in the shared context of teaching-learning and personal experience.

Guidelines for Syllabus Development

Development of syllabi and textbooks based on following considerationsAppropriateness of topics and themes for relevant stages of children’s developmentContinuity from one level to the nextPervasive resonance of all the values enshrined in the constitution of India the organization of knowledge in all subjectsInter-disciplinary and thematic linkages between topics listed for different school subjects, which falls under different discrete disciplinary areas.Linkage between school knowledge and concern in all subjects and at all levelsSensitivity to gender, caste, class, peace, health and need of children with disabilityIntegration of work related attitudes and values in every subject and all levelsNeed to nurture aesthetic sensibility and valuesLinkage between school and college syllabi, avoid overlappingUsing potential of media and new information technology in all subjectsEncouraging flexibility and creativity in all areas of knowledge and its construction by children.

Development of Support Material

Audio/video programmes on NCF-2005 and textbooksSource-book on learning assessmentExemplar problems in Science and MathematicsScience and Mathematics kitsTeachers’ handbooks and manuals.Teacher Training Packages.Developed syllabi and textbooks in new areas such as Heritage Craft, Media Studies, Art Education, Health and Physical Education, etc.Taken various initiatives in the area of ECCE (Early Childhood Care Education), Gender, Inclusive Education, Peace, Vocational Education, Guidance and Counseling, ICT, etc.

Overall Evaluation

NCF 2005 highlights the following aspects:

The value of Interaction with environment, peers and older people to enhance learning.That learning task must be designed to enable children to seek knowledge other than text books.The need to move away from “Herbartian” lesson plan to prepare plans and activities that challenge children to think and try out what they are learning.