Gender-neutral uniforms, 3-language policy, classroom seating arrangement: NCF takeaways

The classroom: According to the NCF, drawn up by a 12-member committee of experts led by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, making all children sit facing the board conveys a perception that the primary sources of learning are the blackboard and the teacher. Instead, the committee has suggested, a circular, semi-circle or group seating arrangement should be explored. The draft NCF also discourages the practice of making “smarter students” occupy front seats, saying it reinforces who learns and who doesn’t.

“A teacher could also keep a track of how many student’s voices they have heard during the course of one lesson, or over a period of a week. This would give them insights into the students who are not able to participate actively or are having difficulty in expressing themselves and as a result, get excluded,” according to the draft.

School assemblies: The expert committee has also prescribed changes in the way most schools hold their assembly sessions, noting that “a lot can be achieved if this space is utilised properly”. Instead of making assembly sessions “ritualistic and mechanical” exercises, schools should think of innovative ways to make them meaningful, it has said.

“Schools must ensure that the assembly does not impose any pressure to perform, or deliver ‘perfect presentations’, and instead should be seen as a process of sharing and learning, accepting flaws, and getting over stage fear by creating a setting that makes all students feel comfortable where no one is judged, insulted, or ridiculed,” says the draft. Among the activities suggested include narration of “real stories of courage and resilience, nishkaam karma and sewa“.

Symbols and hierarchies: Noting that school uniform has a symbolic value, the draft NCF lays emphasis on the colour and the kind of dress chosen as uniform in a school. It adds that one may opt for more traditional, modern or gender-neutral dresses depending on local climate, safety, easy availability, cost-effectiveness. It advocates doing away with practices that establish differences and hierarchies such as making students sit on floor mats and teachers on chairs. “Sometimes, schools practice symbolic representation of hierarchy. For example, there may be a different set of cups/mug in which the Principal is served tea. Such practices need to be avoided as they go against the values a school is fostering,” it says.

Equality: The NCF repeatedly underlines that inequity in the classroom “on the basis of caste, gender, religion, socio-economic conditions, student performance or any other factor is unacceptable”. Observing that rigid gender roles remain a reality, it outlines suggestions on encouraging practices including gender-neutral uniforms, avoiding making boys and girls sit separately and getting students of all genders to play together. Very importantly, it recognises that while gender equality is encouraged in school, children may find that is not the case in their households.

“It would be critical for teachers to help children understand why there is a difference, support them to choose their actions and responses in a way that allows children to place their views before their families with reason and without disrespect and not give up easily,” it states.The draft NCF points out that prevalent social attitudes “see girls as incapable of mathematics” and associate formal computational abilities with the upper castes. “We need to break that belief that exists in society,” it says.

Language and cultural connect: The draft NCF, which will undergo several rounds of scrutiny before being finalised, also highlights that one of the key curricular goals is for students to appreciate the “importance of being an Indian (Bhartiya) by understanding India’s glorious past and its rich diversity, geographical and cultural.” For that, it says, students must be made aware of Indian contributions to “democratic ideas which flourished in ancient, medieval, and the modern period.” In step with the National Education Policy 2020, the NCF also advocates a three-language policy with an emphasis on learning in the mother tongue, particularly at the foundational stage or up to Class 2. That will “keep students connected to their cultural heritage,” it states, adding “it will help individuals to develop a sense of pride and belonging to their community and country.”