What is the News ?

Recently, the final National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has been released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

Facts About:

• Framed by: The NCF was drafted by the National steering committee headed by former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), K. Kasturirangan.
• Key points:
  • For languages: 
    • From now, Students in Classes 9 and 10 will need to learn three languages, of which at least two will be native to India.
    • Classes 11 and 12, students will learn two languages, including one of Indian origin.
  • Board Exams: The NCF states that all students will be allowed to take Board exams on at least two occasions during any given school year, with only the best score being retained.
  • New Text books: It follows the lead of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and gives assent for formulating new textbooks from Grades 3 to 12 under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
  • Number of Subjects: For students from Classes 9 to 12 has to study five mandatory subjects, with an option of adding one more subject.
  • Now, the number of mandatory subjects for Classes 9 and 10 is seven and six for Classes 11 and 12.
  • Optional subjects have been grouped in three parts in the NCF.
    • The first optional group includes art education, physical education and vocational education.
    • The second group includes Social Science, the Humanities, and interdisciplinary areas.
    • The third group includes Science, Mathematics, and computational thinking.
  • Shift to semester-based term: The NCF has recommended that in the long term, all Boards should change to semester or term-based systems.
  • Now, there is no hard separation between academic and vocational subjects, or between Science, Social Science, Art, and Physical Education.

NCF from NEP 2020:

The NCF brings the aims and commitments of the NEP:

• This includes the full range of human capacities, values and dispositions that are aimed to be developed in school education.
• Pedagogy, practices, and culture must work in tandem to develop these, and move away from an overemphasis on memorization and content accumulation; in fact, content reduction is required to create space for such development.
• The 5+3+3+4 Curricular and Pedagogical structure of school education is reflected in the learning standards, the content, the pedagogy, and the assessment approaches.
• It is integrative and holistic with equal status to all subjects and learning domains from Math to Sports. 
• It integrates vocational education in all schools, and there is integration across subjects while developing rigorous subject understanding and capacities.

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT):

• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation set up in 1961 by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education.
• The major objectives of NCERT and its constituent units are to:
  • Undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education
  • Prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, newsletters, and journals and develops educational kits, multimedia digital materials, etc.
  • organize pre-service and in-service training of teachers
  • develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices
  • Collaborate and network with state educational departments, universities, NGOs and other educational institutions

Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1951485