New Delhi: The Union education ministry on Tuesday constituted a 12-member national steering committee to develop the new national curriculum framework (NCF) in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The committee will be headed by K Kasturirangan, who had also led the NEP 2020 drafting committee.
The national curriculum framework serves as a guideline for syllabus, textbooks, teaching and learning practices in the country. India is currently following its fourth national curriculum framework that was published by the NCERT in 2005. Officials at the education ministry said the timeline for the development of new framework is three years.
According to a statement issued by the Union education ministry, the committee will develop four curriculum frameworks -- national curriculum framework for school education; national curriculum for early childhood care and education; national curriculum framework for teacher education; and national curriculum framework for adult Education.
“The Committee will discuss different aspects of these four areas keeping in focus all the recommendations of NEP 2020 for proposing curriculum reforms… All the national curriculum frameworks would also reflect upon the implications of situations such as COVID-19 pandemic on respective areas for future,” the statement said.
The committee included Mahesh Chandra Pant, Chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration; Govind Prasad Sharma, chairman of the National Book Trust; Najma Akhtar, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia; TV Kattimani, Vice-Chancellor of Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh; Jagbir Singh, Chancellor of the Central University of Punjab; and MK Sridhar, who was a member of the NEP 2020 drafting committee, among others.
{{/usCountry}}The committee included Mahesh Chandra Pant, Chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration; Govind Prasad Sharma, chairman of the National Book Trust; Najma Akhtar, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia; TV Kattimani, Vice-Chancellor of Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh; Jagbir Singh, Chancellor of the Central University of Punjab; and MK Sridhar, who was a member of the NEP 2020 drafting committee, among others.
{{/usCountry}}While the tenure of the committee is three years, its term may be expanded as per the requirement, the statement added.
A senior official said a tech platform will be set up to receive inputs from the states after wider consultation at district and block level. “The consultation will be completely digital. The committee will take these inputs in consideration while drafting the framework. The committee will be free to invite subject experts, scholars, educationists, etc. as and when required and deliberate and decide upon the course of actions with the objective to meet the timelines of the strategy for the development of the NCF,” the official said.
The committee will only finalise the framework after incorporating suggestions received from various stakeholders including states and Union Territories, Executive Committee (EC) and General Body (GB) of the NCERT and Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE). The Director of NCERT will assist the committee to complete its module.