English no longer compulsory for Class 11, 12 students under new SCF rules

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) released a draft SCF on May 22. The draft outlines significant departures from the current system and is based on the National Education Policy (2020).

A major change is that the pattern on examination will no longer be 10 + 2. Instead, school education will be divided into 5 + 3 + 3 + 4, Awate told the Indian Express, “Pre-primary education is very important as it builds the base for further education. Through the new pattern, we aim to make it mandatory.”

English will no longer be a compulsory language at grades 11 and 12. Students will need to learn two languages, one being an Indian language. Many educationists had opposed this move when the NEP came out. They claimed that it would make the education system inequitable as those who can afford private education will learn English, and those from public education will be left behind. When Awate was asked to comment on this, she said, “We have only given students the option of other languages; that does not mean they cannot learn English. If they wish to learn English, they can still do so.”

The SCF claims it encourages critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving by emphasising arts, sports, business sense and environmental studies. Awate said, “The SCF will benefit students as it is designed to the demands of the 21st century. We aim to equip students with relevant skills, dynamic subjects, and professional skills at the school level. If they wish to pursue a job right after school, they will be equipped to do so. For junior college, there will be no restriction on streams, and students will have plenty of subjects to choose from.”

The SCERT has also opened a form to encourage the public to give suggestions about the new SCF. The form will be open till the third of June 2024.

The draft states that one of the new approaches it will take is to teach students about the ancient Gurukul system under the module ‘Taking Pride in Indian Culture’.

This has been a point of contention as critics have pointed out implicit casteism and exclusionary nature of this system.

When The Indian Express asked Kamaldevi Awate, in charge of SCF at SCERT, about the significance of the Gurukul system in present times, she said, “We do not claim to revive the Gurukul system but only to teach students about it. We want them to understand the teacher-student bond’s importance and replicate it in the contemporary world.”