Draft National Curriculum Framework suggests major overhaul in exam system
The new NCF, which is prepared by the union government appointed national steering committee, headed by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Factoring in performance of previous classes in the final results of students in classes 10 and 12; conducting “modular exams” for classes 11 and 12; introducing a semester system for class 12; focusing on multidisciplinary education in classes 11 and 12 with “no hard separation” between science, arts, and commerce; and opting for innovative ways of assessments including self-assessment -- these are among the recommendations of the draft of the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) released by NCERT on Thursday. The new NCF, which is prepared by the union government appointed national steering committee, headed by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
NCF will define benchmarks for NCERT textbooks taught in the schools affiliated by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), teaching and learning practices, and assessment methods adopted by the schools. However, these will remain recommendatory in nature for state education boards given that education is a state subject. NCF was last revised in 2005.
The draft document proposes a major overhaul in the board examination system and recommends that they provide “a valid and reliable picture of student performance.”
“The stress of Board examinations at Grade 10 and Grade 12 has repeatedly led to deep anxiety among students and families… Examinations should also be seen as learning experiences, from which one can learn and improve in the future, the current board examination system does not lend itself to this,” it adds.
While suggesting “modular exams” or two-term exams for classes 11 and 12, the draft NCF states that adopting the same divided assessment method for classes 9 and 10 is “unnecessary”.
“The Board examinations should be offered at least twice a year to ensure that students have both enough time and opportunity to perform well. Students can then appear for a Board examination in courses they have completed and feel ready for.This will enable the move towards a system of on-demand examinations in the near future as described in NEP 2020,” the draft states.
“Grades 9 and 10 will follow an annual structure. A semester structure in these classes is possible to construct but is unnecessary since all students will do all the essential courses,” it adds.
Educationist Meeta Sengupta said that modularisation of the board exams will reduce the pressure on one date for high performance and give more choice to students to showcase their best. “The objective of an exam system should be to elicit the best performance from the student with the least pressure. This modular, twice a year option is an improvement towards this goal,” she said.
In line with the NEP 2020 which recommended “no hard separation between arts, humanities, and sciences, the draft NCF proposes doing away with the current practice of dividing streams into science, arts or humanities and commerce for classes 11 and 12.
Sengupta said that the removal of streams as barriers allows students to build their fundamentals for the multidisciplinary careers of the future. “Schools with small sizes and tight resources may find it difficult to offer all options to their students, but this should be seen as a challenge that helps their students create modern careers and schools will need to innovate to keep offering options that clearly require skills across erstwhile streams,” she said.
According to the draft document, the secondary stage of schooling will be divided into two phases: classes 9 and 10, and classes 11 and 12. It has recommended eight curricular areas –Humanities (that includes languages), Mathematics & Computing, Vocational Education, Physical Education, Arts, Social Science, Science, and Inter-disciplinary Areas – for these classes. In classes 11 and 12, a number of subjects will be offered to students under these broad areas.
The courses will be divided into three types– essential or mandatory courses, choice-based courses which each student may select, and vocational education and arts and sports, which will be an integral part of the curriculum
“The students have a choice in selecting specific areas and disciplines. They make these choices based on their interests and their future plans either in the world of work or in higher education after their school completion,” the draft adds.
Describing the structure for classes 9 and 10, the draft NCF says, “To complete Class 10, students will complete two essential (mandatory) courses from each of the eight curricular areas available from a total of 16 essential courses across two years of class 9 and 10. Both the classes will follow an annual structure.”
Students must clear eight board examinations at the end of Class 10. “These assess each of the two essential courses in each curricular area learnt during class 9 and 10,” the draft says..
“The final certification will be based on the cumulative result of each of the examinations” it adds.
For classes 11 and 12, the same set of eight curricular areas mentioned above will continue to be on offer, but choice-based courses will be designed based on the disciplines (example:the humanities discipline will offer languages, literature and philosophy) within the curricular areas to ensure deeper and more rigorous engagement.
“This stage would be divided into semesters and each choice-based course would be for a semester. Students must complete 16 choice-based courses to complete Class 12. To ensure that the students have adequate breadth, they have to choose disciplines from at least three curricular areas and they have to complete four choice-based courses in that discipline,” the draft states .
For example, if students choose social science (curricular area) and history (discipline) within that, they must complete all four courses in history. They can then choose the humanities as the second curricular area and do four courses in philosophy. Mathematics could be the third curricular area with four courses in computer science. The fourth set of courses could be from one of the three curricular areas already chosen or from a completely different one.
Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School in Delhi, said, “Having a choice of subjects provides a unique opportunity for our students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills, while also gaining a broader and more interconnected understanding of different fields with complete interest. Incorporating interdisciplinary subjects into our curriculum can make learning more engaging and meaningful for our students, and help them to prepare for the complex challenges of the 21st century.”
“Help students to develop a multidisciplinary understanding of science, and its linkages with other curricular areas. Students use their understanding from other curricular areas to support science learning and apply scientific ideas to other areas. This enables them to understand the connections of science with other curricular areas, as well as with life,” the draft document says.