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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
NCERT is boosting the arts in secondary school. It must do the same for higher education
The NCERT is being criticised for a series of changes in history textbooks. However, many have not noticed that the NCERT has made another significant change to the secondary syllabus. From the 2025-26 session, theatre, music, and drama will be regular subjects starting in grade VIII. This change is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. This means that all students, no matter what they like or how much they know about the arts, will have to study and pass the subjects to move on to the following school year. The goal of the change is to give students a more well-rounded education that includes both traditional academic and creative and artistic learning. The NCERT has also released a new art textbook called Kriti to help with this transition. This book will be the main resource for teaching the visual and performing arts. This change is significant, as it puts equal value on both the intellectual and creative progress of a student. Since the arts soften hearts, a change like this will have an impact on society. Practitioners of fine arts are generally less likely to encourage discrimination, sectarianism, and hatred. They are often the torchbearers of love, empathy, and equity. If sincerely put into practice, the change made by the NCERT will help create an India we all dream of. Rabindranath Tagore did what the NCERT is doing many years ago. At his school in Santiniketan, the students did not just read textbooks. Singing, dancing, and painting were part of the curriculum. Tagore favoured the holistic development of students. The growth of a human mind was much more important to him than the attainment of a degree. While establishing Visva-Bharati University, Tagore ensured that it did not become a degree-granting institution. For a long time, no degree or certificate was awarded at the university. When this system was launched in collaboration with the University of Calcutta, Tagore reluctantly accepted the change. Tagore strongly argued that creativity should be given priority in teaching and research, not only at the school level but also in higher education. In 1919, in his first speech in English in India, he spoke about what an Indian university should be like: 'I have to give utterance to a truism and say with profound seriousness that music and the fine arts are among the highest means of national self-expression, without which the people remain inarticulate.' Visva-Bharati had separate departments for teaching these subjects. These changes at the secondary level, in line with the National Education Policy 2020 and Tagore's philosophy of education, are commendable. It is time they are made in higher education with the same spirit. Otherwise, the qualities acquired by a student in adolescence will inevitably be defunct with time. Soft faculties of the human mind need continuous practice and nurturing. This is where we have to ask a big question. In the last few years, the central government's budget allocation to the higher education sector has been continuously reduced. This has had a direct impact on the study and research of the humanities. It may be argued that this is a global phenomenon. As a discipline, the humanities are in crisis in academia across the globe. But if India has to distinguish itself from other countries and revive some of the best practices of its traditional knowledge systems, it should boost humanities studies and research in higher education, giving due priority to performative arts. Even massive changes in the syllabus at the secondary level won't be enough. In fact, to achieve what the NEP 2020 promises, higher education needs to be tied in closely with school education. If the great qualitative change that the NCERT has brought in the syllabus at the school level is not carried forward to the domain of higher education, the full benefits of this change will never be achieved. To quote Tagore, 'In the proposed centre of our cultures [in a university], music and art must have their prominent seats of honour, and not merely a tolerant nod of recognition.' The writer is professor, Department of English and Culture Studies, and director, Centre for Australian Studies, University of Burdwan
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
NCERT book features carpentry, animal care
From learning basic carpentry skills, building hydroponics, designing home automation circuits to caring for animals and creating ethical advertisements for local businesses, the new National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) Class 8 vocational education activity book introduces students to six hands-on projects aimed at blending practical skills with cultural and environmental awareness among them. NCERT book features carpentry, animal care The book roots vocational education in India's traditional knowledge – from Atharva Veda's ecological ethics in woodworking to indigenous veterinary remedies and historical floating farms of Dal Lake and Loktak Lake. Developed in alignment with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 provisions, the 202-page book titled 'Kaushal Bodh,' asks schools to organise 'Kaushal Mela,' an end-of-year exhibition where students would display self-made products and services, share their learning experiences, and engage with peers, teachers, and community members to celebrate skills and creativity. In National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, work has been categorised under three broad forms: work with life forms (plants, animals, farming); work with machines and materials (carpentry, electronics, automation); and work in human services (advertising, entrepreneurship, community engagement). Under NCF-SE, students are expected to take up nine projects across Class 6 to 8 with three projects in each Class and one from each form of work. '...The projects will help students to develop knowledge, skills, attitude and values alongside ecological sensitivity, gender sensitivity, digital skills, and life skills.' reads the foreword of the book. Project 1 on hydroponics teaches students about soil-less farming and introduces them to compost tea made with jaggery and compost, and India's age-old water-based farming techniques in floating farms like those on Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir and Loktak Lake in Manipur. Project 2 on animal care blends science and indigenous wisdom, covering fodder preparation, natural remedies, and livestock weight estimation using Schaeffle's formula, preparing silage, and creating a first-aid kit for livestock. The project also highlights India's history as a milk-producing nation and custodian of 43 indigenous cattle breeds. Project 3 on wood and bamboo work builds basic carpentry skills using eco-friendly materials, inspired by traditional structures like the Padmanabhapuram Palace in Thuckalay, Tamil Nadu. Under the project, the book quotes a verse from the Atharva Veda: 'Whatever we dig… may it have quick regeneration' linking woodworking to ecological ethics. Project 4 on home automation introduces beginner electronics and Internet of Things (IoT) encouraging students to design sensor-based lights and motion detectors. Project 5 on water audit focuses on water conservation, where students measure household usage, analyse data, and propose community solutions. Project 6 on creating advertisements develops creativity and media literacy among students by encouraging them to design posters, jingles, and reels for local businesses. 'The choice of projects is left entirely to schools. One project may be taken up by students or preferably, the school can design other projects based on local considerations,' reads the about the book section of the book. Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, northwest Delhi, said that the vocational education books provide hands-on learning experiences to students. 'These books provide guidance on how to conduct different activities to impart skills among students which is more important than gaining knowledge of ideas. Vocational education books raise awareness among students about the environment at a young age which is important for sustainable development. We refer to these books to conduct activities for students in our schools,' she said. NCERT had released the vocational education books for class 6 in July 2024 and for class 7 in March 2025.
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maharashtra's controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6
After Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the government resolutions introducing a third language from Class 1 in state board schools had been scrapped, the controversy has been put to rest for now. The government has also set up a committee, led by economist and educationist Dr Narendra Jadhav, to re-examine the issue. Following Fadnavis's Sunday announcement, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena UBT declared this rollback as a victory ahead of their planned protest on July 5. Difference between national and state curricula There is a significant difference in the stages at which the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) and Maharashtra's State Curriculum Framework for School Education (SCF-SE) introduce a third language in school education. According to the New Education Policy (NEP) floated by the Centre, school education is divided into a 5+3+3+4 pedagogical and curricular structure, replacing the current 10+2 format. The first five years comprise the Foundational Stage, which includes three years of preschool, Class 1, and Class 2. The next three years are the Preparatory Stage, consisting of classes 3 to 5. The next three years constitute the Middle Stage, from classes 6 to 8, and the next four years comprise the Secondary Stage, from classes 9 to 12. NEP says the three-language formula will continue to be implemented with greater flexibility, and no language will be imposed on any state. The purpose of the NCF-SE is to help bring about the changes recommended in NEP. According to NCF-SE, R1 and R2 — the first and second school languages — are introduced from the Preparatory Stage, and by the end of the Middle Stage, a student is expected to understand and appreciate the distinctive features of the language, engage in collaborative discussions, and read and write independently in both the languages. The framework adds a third language is to be introduced in the Middle Stage, which is from Class 6 onwards. 'A new third Language, R3, is introduced in this (Middle) stage. Students acquire familiarity with the spoken form of this language, along with the basics of reading and writing.' However, Maharashtra's SCF-SE differed from NCF by calling for a 'detailed introduction' to R3 in the Preparatory Stage, which is Class 1 to Class 5. 'For this stage and all subsequent stages, efforts should be made to bring the language courses to the same level of 100 marks for R1, R2 and R3,' it says. Expert speak Dhir Jhingran, Member, National Steering Committee for development of NCF, disagrees with formally introducing a third language in school education in Class 1 or Class 3. Jhingran, who is also the founder of the Language and Learning Foundation, told The Indian Express that children should focus on developing a strong proficiency in their first language, and a second language in the early years. 'And there the focus is on building the foundation of strong literacy in two languages, which means comprehension, reading, fluency, writing, et cetera. So it requires those five to seven years to build this kind of proficiency in two languages.' 'If the child has natural exposure to languages, for example, in a household, the grandmother speaks something else, the mother and the father speak something else, you'll find a child is naturally able to pick up to three languages. But the problem is that if a child is formally taught, once you introduce Hindi or whatever as a subject, there'll be a textbook, there'll be teaching, the child has to do writing and there'll be copying work taught in a very dreary and didactic manner, which makes it very difficult for the child to actually learn a language,' he says. He says acquiring a language and gaining literacy in a language are two different matters. 'Acquiring language means that a child at home picks up words and is able to speak, because we work through gestures, and the child picks up in different ways. But once you say literacy, the child has to understand which sound is for what symbol and how do you combine what are the spellings of different words, etc. It's an overload for the child'. Following political and academic backlash over the introduction of the third language, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse announced at the end of June that in classes 1 and 2, students would only be taught oral skills, with written skills to be introduced from class 3. However, this is still three years before the NEP recommendation of Class 6. Jhingran also says increasing the curriculum burden on a child goes contrary to the goals of NEP. 'Someone may argue that in Maharashtra, all children know how to listen to Hindi, and so starting it earlier is less problematic than, say, starting French in grade three. But again, if you teach it as a subject, you're adding to the child's workload. Science, social science, and math curricula are not going away, but you're adding one more subject on which the child will be tested. So that is curricular overload. And NEP actually very clearly says, you should try to reduce the curricular burden.' 'Freedom to make necessary changes' The Maharashtra Government provided various reasons for deciding to implement the third language from Class 1. In a statement shared before the scrapping of the GRs, the School Education and Sports Department said, 'Students enjoy learning a new language and can easily learn it at an easy level at a young age.' It added that in Maharashtra, 10 per cent of students study in non-Marathi medium government-run schools, such as those offering Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Gujarati, and Urdu. These students are taught Marathi and English from Class 1 in addition to their medium language, and they learn three languages. Therefore, it stated, if students from Marathi-medium schools are not taught a third language, they will lose out on Academic Bank of Credit points for classes 1 to 5. The state also argued that Hindi is familiar to children in Maharashtra from a young age; therefore, it will not academically burden the students. 'The Supreme Court has already made it clear that the National Education Policy 2020 is not binding on any state in the country. Therefore, the state has the freedom to make necessary changes in its own education policy or the National Education Policy 2020…' However, it remains to be seen how the Jadhav committee will re-examine the issue of introducing a third language in school education in Maharashtra in its report, which will be submitted after three months. Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
CBSE allows Class 10 maths basic students to opt for regular math in class 11
Nagpur: The Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to continue allowing students of Class 10 to pursue regular maths (subject code 041) in Class 11, even if they opted for the simpler version of the subject called maths (Basic) in the Class 10 board exam. The maths (Basic) subject was introduced from the 2020 board exams for students who did not wish to pursue maths at higher levels. This meant they could not opt for engineering courses which required maths at Class 11 and 12. However, ever since the board introduced this policy, students who opted for maths (Basic) in Class 10 were allowed to pursue regular maths in Class 11 through special relaxation in the scheme. CBSE has cited 'pandemic and other issues' as the reason that this relaxation kept getting extended every year. Now, the policy relaxation will continue until further notice, meaning students won't have to wait for year-end circulars from CBSE to confirm whether or not they will get the benefit. CBSE's controller of examination, Sanyam Bhardwaj, however, requested principals to ensure that students have the aptitude to pursue regular maths at Class 11. CBSE's latest communication stated that this policy relaxation will cease once the new scheme of studies is implemented "in pursuance to the recommendations of NCF-SE". From the 2025-26 academic session onwards, students who appeared for Maths (Basic), subject code 241, in Class 10 can now apply for maths (041) in Class 11.
NDTV
30-05-2025
- General
- NDTV
CBSE Allows Basic Math Students To Study Standard Math In Class 11
In a significant shift, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has allowed students who studied Basic Mathematics (241) in Class 10 to opt for Mathematics Standard (041) in Class 11, starting from the academic year 2025-26. This initiative offers greater flexibility to students in shaping their academic path, provided they meet certain conditions. The decision, announced in an official notification dated May 27, 2025, marks a shift from the earlier rule where only students who had taken Mathematics Standard (041) in Class 10 were permitted to continue with the subject at the senior secondary level. Students with Basic Math were previously limited to choosing Applied Mathematics in Class 11. According to the circular, heads of schools must assess and ensure that students who wish to switch from Basic Math to core Mathematics in Class 11 have the necessary aptitude and academic preparedness to handle the subject's rigour. The Board has instructed schools to communicate the change to parents and students so they can make informed subject choices while filling the List of Candidates (LOC). Once subjects are finalised in LOC, no modifications will be permitted. This relaxation is a continuation of temporary exemptions introduced during the pandemic years, when students who opted for Basic Math were allowed to take Mathematics (041) in higher classes. However, the CBSE has clarified that the current decision will remain valid only until a new scheme of studies is introduced under the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE). Until then, other provisions of the earlier circular issued on January 10, 2019, will continue to apply. The dual-level Mathematics system was introduced by CBSE in the 2019-20 academic session to offer students options based on their interest and future academic plans. While Mathematics (Standard) caters to those wish to pursue the subject in higher studies, Mathematics (Basic) is designed for those who do not wish to continue with it beyond Class 10.
