Draft aims to connect kids with daily life

The draft will be discussed before being adopted and forwarded to state governments, who will implement the new education policy this framework envisages. The 2005 framework does not get into a debate over the NDA regime’s curriculum framework released in November, 2000, under former HRD minister, Murli Manohar Joshi.

This policy document focuses on four aspects: connecting knowledge to life outside school; ensuring that learning shifts away from rote; taking curriculum beyond textbooks and making examinations more flexible and integrating them with classroom life.

Joshi’s curriculum emphasised ‘‘building a cohesive society based on pillars of relevance, equity and excellence’’, ‘‘integrating indigenous knowledge and recognising India’s contribution to world civilisations’’ and ‘‘inculcating and nurturing a sense of pride in being an Indian….’’

Of course, this new curriculum framework’s executive summary does emphasise the UPA government’s dictum of ensuring ‘‘peace, humaneness and tolerance in a multi-cultural society’’. But its key pivot is the need to shift to ‘‘Learning without Burden’’. In 2000, there was the promise of ‘‘reducing the curriculum load’’ but it was difficult to translate this into reality.

NCERT director Krishna Kumar said planners were guided by President A P J Abdul Kalam, who said the curriculum should be such that a Class V student can repair the ‘‘electric switch at home’’. There are plans to introduce primary school students to the art of cooking. ‘‘Why should Class VI students be unable to run the mid-day meal scheme?’’ asked Kumar.

This new framework is also different because it recognises the failure of every vocational education system tried out earlier. So it wants a school, government or private, to connect with enterprises like motor garages, electrical shops in the immediate neighbourhood.

It also recognises various kinds of intelligence, so emphasis is being laid on music, arts and crafts. Shubha Mudgal headed one of the 22 steering committees which prepared the policy framework. Her team suggested ways to incorporate music and arts at an early stage of education.