GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Issues Relating to the Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources
Source: TH
Context: The Ministry of Education (MoE) released a pre-draft version of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for School Education and has sought feedback from various stakeholders.
Background:
- As School education is the foundation stone of a child’s life, the National Education Policy 2020 recommends –
- Shift from 10+2 structure to 5+3+3+4,
- Developmental perspectives suggest curricular and pedagogical shifts at foundational, preparatory (grade III, IV & V), middle and secondary stages.
As a follow-up of the NEP 2020, the development of four NCFs has been initiated:
- NCF for Foundational Stage (had been brought out and launched in 2022)
- NCF for School Education
- NCF for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
- NCF for Teacher Education and NCF for Adult Education.
The National Steering Committee under Dr. K. Kasturirangan was set up by the MoE to undertake and guide the development of NCFs.
The NCF for School Education – Pre-Draft:
- It covers the framework of curriculum for age groups 3 to 18 years and a key part of the document is the inclusion of values and their “rootedness” in India, in
- Content and learning of languages,
- Pedagogical approaches including tools and resources, etc
- It leans towards making students acquainted with true sources of knowledge – a philosophical preoccupation of ancient Indians. These sources focus on six pramanas:
Focuses on the moral development of a child: This will be through Pancha kosha Vikas or five-fold development –
- annamaya kosha (physical layer),
- pranamaya kosha (life force energy layer),
- manomaya kosha (mind layer),
- vijnanamaya kosha (intellectual layer) and
- anandamaya kosha (inner self).
Courses at Grade 10 and above:
- Grade 10 students will have to take two essential courses from
- In Grades 11 and 12, students will be offered choice-based courses in the same disciplines for more rigorous engagement.
Modular Board Exams for Class 11 and 12:
- This will be offered as opposed to a single exam at the end of the year and the final result will be based on the cumulative result of each exam.
- Currently, the life-determining board examinations are available only on two occasions (grade 10 and 12), which prevents truly holistic development of students.
It suggested 3 approaches to assessments: Assessment –
- ‘of learning‘ (measurement of achievement of student learning),
- ‘for learning‘ (evidence of student learning gathered by the teacher that provides inputs to guide the teaching-learning processes) and
- ‘as learning‘ (when assessments are introduced as non-threatening tools for self-reflection and introspection).
Insta Links:
National Curriculum Framework (NCF)
Mains Links:
National Education Policy 2020 is in conformity with Sustainable Development Goal-4 (2030). It intends to restructure and reorient the education system in India. Critically examine the statement. (UPSC 2020)
