Eyebrows were raised, and speculation spiralled, when a member of the Kasturirangan-led committee, set up recently to revise the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and lay down the broad guidelines for school syllabus and textbooks, said that the existing curriculum in schools dwells “too much on defeats”, and that “in the light of new facts, history should be rewritten”. The member, an ideologue, also remarked that textbooks should talk about the “fighting spirit” of rulers such as Maharana Pratap in battles against foreign invaders. When Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, HRD Minister in Vajpayee government, caused some revision in the school text books, it was considered by the left-wing as saffronisation of the syllabus. The revision of the extant NCF has been necessitated by the National Education Policy, (NEP), 2020. The NCF revision is not new or novel. It was last revised in 2005, and earlier in 1975, 1988 and 2000. The NEP incapsulates and condenses the recommendations of the Committee set up to formulate a Draft National Education Policy. It was a Herculean task to condense over 400 page report of the Kasturirangan Committee into a precise 68 page policy document, that is the NEP, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on 29th July, 2020. As Adviser to the Union Minister for Education, I recollect, the affable but indefatigable Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had a series of mind storming and protracted discussions with senior bureaucrats, academics and scholars, apart from structured inter-ministerial discussions, leading to formulation of multiple drafts and eventual approval of the NEP 2020 by the Cabinet.
The NEP, the first education policy of the 21st century, aims to address the many growing developmental imperatives of India. The NEP envisages revision and revamping of all aspects of the education structure, including its regulation and governance and to create a new system aligned with the aspirational goals of the 21st century and the SDG4, while building upon India’s great traditions and value systems. The NEP unambiguously says that ‘the pursuit of knowledge (Jnan), wisdom (Pragyaa), and truth (Satya) was always considered in Indian thought and philosophy as the highest human goal. Admittedly, the purpose of education system is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. The Policy envisages that the curriculum and pedagogy must foster a sense of respect towards the fundamental duties and constitutional values, bonding with one’s country, and conscious awareness of one’s role and responsibilities.
A host of wide-ranging measures have been taken by the Ministry of Education, the UGC, the NCERT and the CBSE to give effect to the provisions of the NEP as per the timelines stipulated in the Policy itself. The provisions of the NEP relating to Early Childhood Care, that is the foundational literary and numeracy and development of a new National Curriculum Framework for school education is a challenging task. This is so because, according to the empirical studies, and a fact reiterated by the NEP, over 85 percent of a child’s cumulative brain development occurs prior to the age of 6, indicating the critical importance of appropriate care and stimulation of the brain in early years. The school curriculum and pedagogy are to be restructured in a new 5+3+3+4 and ‘learning is to be made holistic, integrated, enjoyable, and engaging’. The curriculum content would be reduced to make the school bag lighter. However, the core essentials of each subject would be retained to make space for critical thinking based on concepts, ideas, applications and problem-solving. Teaching and learning have to be made interactive, creative, collaborative, experiential with classroom sessions ‘regularly containing more fun’. The NEP speaks of empowerment of students through flexibility in course choices, multilingualism, curricular integration of essential subjects, skills and capacities, with local content and flavour by developing a new and comprehensive NCF for school education based on the principles enshrined in the NEP.
The task belongs to, and stands assigned to the NCERT by the NEP, but, probably conscious of the enormity and the complexity, the GoI has entrusted the task of drafting the NCF to a 12-member National Steering Committee (NSC) headed by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, who also headed the Committee on the Draft National Education Policy, 2019. Out of the 12 members, apart from Dr Kasturirangan who heads the NSC, two more eminent scholar members of the Committee constituted to Draft the NEP, 2019, namely Prof. Manjul Bhargava and Prof.T V Kattimani, have been retained. Prof. Manjul Bhargava is a professor of Mathematics in the Princeton University, USA- the recipient of Fields Medal. This prestigious award is given to mathematicians under age 40 by the International Mathematical Union, considered as the novel prize of Mathematics. Prof. Kattimani is a former VC of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University and the current VC of the Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh. The other members of the NSC comprise of eminent Vice Chancellors, distinguished scholars, renowned academics, domain experts and profound thinkers. The task before them is complex and colossal as they have to develop the new NCF within the framework of the NEP, 2020.
A member of the NSC, and a right-wing ideologue, has hinted at re-writing history and the textbooks ‘in the light of new facts’ of history. The precise mandate of the steering committee is to develop the NCF within the mandated remit. The NEP speaks, among other things, of incorporating local content and flavour as the students must know about their past, immediate surroundings and topography, India’s civilisational heritage, constitutional values, to develop the spirit of critical thinking and enquiry. The Policy advocates multilingualism, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong opportunities for all by 2030 by incorporating rapid changes in the knowledge landscape in the globalised world. The aim is to promote India as a global study destination by providing premium education at affordable costs so as to help ‘restore its role as a Viswa Guru’. Evidently, the founding fathers of our republic laid the foundation of a civic nation, and not an ethnic nation by crafting a republican democratic Constitution, solemnly affirming to secure to all its citizens: Justice, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity— assuring the dignity of the individual.
When one speaks of India’s civilisational heritage and the need for inculcating the spirit of enquiry and scientific temper, the following Vedic hymn flashes across the mind: ‘Whether God’s will created it (the universe), or … only He who is its overseer in highest heaven knows, only He knows, or perhaps He does not know.’ In a steering committee of twelve eminences in diverse fields of knowledge, there may be an initial difference of opinion but when they talk together, deliberate, build consensus and bring unity of purpose having regard to the need to impart quality education and to make India a global hub of education, expectedly, they will surmount parochial considerations and develop the national curricular framework in perfect accord with the hallowed provisions of the NEP2020, staying clear of the potential carping criticism of the extreme left or the radical right, by not harking too much on the past. Of course, we must analyse the past without being its prisoner— in the context of the present to build a resurgent India-the hub of global education, by laying the foundation of a sound, secure and holistic school education system to meet the aspirational needs of the 21st century.
The writer is ex Addl Secretary, Lok Sabha and a member of the Delhi Bar Council. Views expressed are writer’s personal.
A member of the NSC, and a right-wing ideologue, has hinted at re-writing history and the textbooks ‘in the light of new facts’ of history. The precise mandate of the steering committee is to develop the NCF within the mandated remit. The NEP speaks, among other things, of incorporating local content and flavour as the students must know about their past, immediate surroundings and topography, India’s civilisational heritage, constitutional values, to develop the spirit of critical thinking and enquiry. The Policy advocates multilingualism, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong opportunities for all by 2030 .