ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CRRICULUM & NCF 2005

1. Background Education as a process of human development has been playing a very crucial role in nurturing societies and nations. It has tremendous potential not only to influence the society but also to transform the whole society. Education, by its very nature, influences and gets influenced by the whole development process. There is hardly any field of activity which does not have its impact on the education system which encompasses school and higher education in view of providing education in formal settings with purposes of social and national development. Therefore, the dynamics of education and its role in social transformation and national development makes it essential that the content and processes of education are continuously renewed in order to make them in consonance with the changing needs, aspirations and demands of the society. School education is a sector of fundamental importance to individual, society and national development processes. Schools as institutional spaces for communities of learners, including both students and teachers operate through curriculum. The rapid growth of knowledge, the emergence of new societal and national concerns and as well as means and methods of communication, make it essential that the curriculum at the school stage is renewed continuously to respond to the future challenges. Curriculum:,curriculum is, perhaps, best thought of as that set of planned activities which are designed to implement a particular educational aim —a set of such aims—in terms of the content of what is to be taught and the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are to be deliberately fostered, together with statements of criteria for selection of content, and choices in methods, materials, and evaluation.1.1 Curriculum Scenario in the Country Education Commissions set up to address the issues related to education such as Secondary Education Commission popularly known as Mudaliar Commission (1952-53), Education Commission (1964-66) popularly known as Kothari Commission provided the basis for deliberations on the transformation of the educational systems, which further reflected in the recommendations of country’s education policies i.e. National Policy on Education 1968 and the National Policy on Education 1986. Education under the Indian Constitution until 1976 was a state subject where state governments were allowed to take decisions on all matters pertaining to school education, including curriculum, within their jurisdiction. The centre could only provide guidance to the States on policy issues. It is under such circumstances that the initial attempts of the National Education Policy of 1968 and the Curriculum Framework designed by NCERT in1975 were formulated

The acceptance of a common educational structure, i.e. 10+2+3 pattern of education all over the country after the adoption of the NPE 1968, could be considered as an important step in the efforts for evolving a national system of education. The concept of a national system of education implies that, up to a given level, all pupils, irrespective of caste, creed, location or sex, have access to education of a comparable quality. In 1976, the Constitution was amended to include education in the Concurrent List and for the first time in 1986 the country as a whole had a uniform National Policy on Education. The NPE (1986) recommended a common core component in the school curriculum throughout the country. The policy entrusted National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) with

the responsibility of developing the National Curriculum Framework, and reviewing the framework at frequent intervals. This was followed by steps to provide the nation a National Curriculum Framework for School Education for ensuring the school education system in country to work under the broad guidelines comprehensive of all educational process, fully integrated with the socio-cultural milieu and intended to develop potentials of individuals. The NPE 1986 proposed NCF as a means of strengthening the national system of education conceived on the principles embodied in the Constitution of India and capable of responding to India’s diversity of geographical and cultural milieus while ensuring a common core of values along with academic components. “The NPE-PoA envisaged a child-centered approach to promote universal enrollment and universal retention of children up to 14 years of age and substantial improvement in the quality of education in the school.“ It is under this backdrop, the first curriculum framework developed by the NCERT in 1975 ‘ Curriculum for Ten Year Schooling – A Framework’ was reviewed in 1988 when the NCERT presented a new national curriculum framework entitled ‘National Curriculum for Elementary and Secondary Education- A Framework’. However, the articulation of this framework through courses of studies and textbooks in a rapidly changing developmental context resulted in an increase in ‘curricular load’ and made learning at school a source of stress for young minds and bodies during their formative years of childhood and stress for young minds and bodies during their formative years childhood and adolescence. This aspect has been coherently brought out in Learning Without Burden, 1993, the report of the Committee under the chairmanship of Professor Yash Pal. Further, in spite of the recommendations of the NPE, 1986 to identify competencies and values to be nurtured a different stage, school education came to be driven more and more by high-stake examinations based on information-loaded textbooks. Then again in the year 2000 review of 1988 curriculum framework was undertaken by the NCERT, The NCERT initiated the exercise of curriculum review to address the future requirements of school education at the turn of the century. In this endeavor, several interrelated dimensions have been kept in mind, namely, the aims of education, the social milieu of children, the nature of knowledge in its broader sense, the nature of human development, and the process of human learning. NCERT has brought out the NCF-2005 through a process of wide –ranging discussion and deliberation, which got approval of the Central Advisory Board of Education in September, 2005. Considering the connectivity of curriculum framework, syllabi and textbooks, NCERT has also brought out syllabi and textbooks for all the subject areas across all the classes. The common core components comprise the following:

The history of India’s Freedom Movement The constitutional obligation National Identity India’s common cultural heritage Egalitarianism, democracy, and secularism Equality of sexes (gender equality) Protection of the environment Removal social barriers Observance of the small family norm(population education) Inculcation of the scientific temper

1.2 NCF-2005 Perspectives: 1.2.1 Knowledge and Understanding Knowledge can be conceived as experiences which we receive while living in world. These experiences are organized in two ways: One way is through language into pattern of thought (or

structures of concepts), thus creating meaning, which in turn help us understand the world we live in. The other way is through patterns of activity with thought, contributing to acting in the world, and the creating and making of things. Over time many bodies of knowledge have been evolved which include a repertoire of ways of thinking, of feeling and doing things, and constructing more knowledge. All children have to re-create a significant part of this wealth for themselves, as this constitutes basis for further thinking and for acting appropriately in this world. It is also important to learn to participate in the very process of knowledge creation, meaning making and human action, i.e. work. Conceiving knowledge in this broad sense directs us to the importance of examining knowledge in terms of not only the ‘product’, but also the underlying principles of how it is created, how it is organized, who accesses it, and what it is used for. It suggests that in the curriculum, there must be as much focus on the process of learning, on how learners engage with and reconstruct knowledge, as on the content of what is learnt. In this view of knowledge the learner dynamically engaged with the world through observing, feeling, reflecting, acting, and sharing. Presently, knowledge is regarded as a finished product and hence organized in the form of information to be transferred to child’s mind and in this view of knowledge, the learner is conceived as a passive receiver. Hence when the question arises, “What should be taught to the young?’ it further leads us to more deeper question, namely, what aims are worth pursuing in education? The answer is a vision of the capabilities and values that every individual must have and a socio-political and cultural vision for society. This is not a single aim, but a set of aims. So also the content selected seeks to do justice to the entire set of aims. 1.2.2 Aims of EducationSeeking guidance from the Constitutional vision of India as a secular, egalitarian and pluralistic society, founded on the values of social justice and equality, certain broad aims of education have been identified in National Curriculum Framework. These include:

Independence of thought and action

Sensitivity to others’ well being and feeling,

Learning to respond to new situations in a flexible and creative manner,

Pre-disposition towards participation in democratic processes and

The ability to work towards and contribute to economic processes and social change

Further, in view of achieving these aims of education, the NCF-2005 deliberates upon the following: 1.2.3 Curricular Burden The focus of this entire exercise is on curricular burden faced by children at all stages in our school system, which was also the theme of a committee appointed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 1991. Its report was published by NCERT under the title ‘Learning Without Burden’ in 1993. Learning at school cannot become a joyful experience unless we change our perception of child as a receiver of knowledge and move beyond textbook teaching and examination. We lack faith in children’s own creative instinct and their capacity to construct knowledge out of their experience. This is why, pressure to include new topics mounts and the effort to synthesize knowledge and treat it holistically gets weaker.

The NCF observes that the learning has become a source of burden and stress on children. Because of this, there appears a deep distortion in educational aims and quality. To correct this distortion, the present National Curriculum Framework proposes five guiding principles for curriculum development: 1.2.4 Five Guiding Principles:

(i) Connecting knowledge to life outside the school;

(ii) Ensuring that learning shifts away from rote methods;

(iii) Enriching the curriculum to provide for overall development of children rather than remain textbook centric,

(iv) Making examinations more flexible and integrated into classroom life (v) Nurturing an over-riding identity informed by caring concerns within the democratic polity of the country. 1.2.5 Primacy of Learner Giving primacy to children’s experiences, their voices, and their active participation is essential for practicing child-centered pedagogy. This kind of pedagogy requires us to plan learning in keeping with children’s psychological development and interests. The learning plans therefore must respond to physical, cultural and social preferences within the wide diversity of characteristics and needs. The National Curriculum Framework, while placing the learner as the constructor of knowledge, emphasizes that curriculum, syllabus and textbooks should enable the teacher to organize classroom experiences in consonance with the child’s nature and environment, and providing opportunities for all children. 1.2.6 Curricular and Systemic Concerns: 1.2.6.1 Multilingualism and Language Education The document-taking note of the multilingual nature of the Indian society aims to use it as instrument for learning. The multilingual character of the Indian society is seen as a resource to promote multilingual proficiency in every child. Reading and writing, listening and speech contribute to the child’s progress in all curricular areas and must form the basis for curriculum planning. 1.2.6.2 Mathematics Education Mathematics education, it is proposed, should enhance the child’s resources to think and reason, visualize and handle abstractions, to formulate and solve problems. 1.2.6.3 Science Education Science Education should be recast so that it enables children to examine and analyze everyday experiences. Concern for the environment should be emphasized in every subject and through a wide range of activities involving outdoor project work. 1.2.6.4 Social Science Education Social Science learning in the NCF proposes to recognize the disciplinary markers while emphasizing integration in Social Sciences from the perspective of marginalized groups. Gender justice and sensitivity towards tribal and dalit issues and minority sensitivities must inform all areas of Social Sciences. 1.2.6.5 Art Education, Health and Physical Education, Education for Peace and Work and Education The NCF also draws attention to the four other areas such as work, arts and heritage crafts, health and physical education and peace and suggests their infusion across the areas of learning while giving them an identity of their own at relevant stages. NCF-2005 states that we must bring these areas squarely into the domain of the curricular areas. The document states that certain radical steps to link learning from the primary stage upwards with work are suggested on the ground that work transforms knowledge into experience and generates important personal and social values such as self-reliance, creativity and co-

operation. Art as a subject at all stages is recommended, covering all four major spheres, i.e. music, dance, visual arts and theatre with an emphasis on interactive approaches rather than instruction. The goal of art education is to promote aesthetic and personal awareness and the ability to express oneself in different forms. The importance of India’s heritage crafts both in terms of their economic and aesthetic values should be recognized as being relevant to school education. The success of the child at school depends on the nutrition and a well-planned physical activity programme. The NCF recommends that resources and school time must be deployed for the strengthening of mid-day meal scheme and efforts to ensure that girls receive as much attention in health and physical education programmes from pre-school stage up to senior secondary stage as boys. Peace has been recognized as a pre condition for national development and as a social temper. It is proposed that the potential of peace education for socializing children into a democratic and just culture should be created through appropriate activities and judicious choices of topics in all subjects at all stages. 1.2.6.6 Enabling School Environment Another major concern the framework proposes to address is the school ethos as a dimension of the curriculum. The primacy of the child within the aims of education and strategies of learning is necessary for success at school. As a resource, school-time needs to be planned in a flexible manner for which locally planned, flexible school calendars and time tables are required. 1.2.7 Systemic Reforms Decentralized Governance and Common School System Advocating reform in the system, the document calls for strengthening the Panchayati Raj institution through the adoption of a more streamlined approach to encourage community participation as a means of enhancing quality and accountability. Further, to ensure comparable quality in different regions of the country and also to ensure that when children of different backgrounds study together, it improves the overall quality of learning and enriches the school ethos NCF emphasizes on evolving a common school system. Reformulation of Teacher Education Courses (Pre-service and In-service) In view of changing role of teacher as per the shift in the perception of knowledge and learning the document advocates for reformulated teacher education programme that places thrust on the active involvement of learners in the process of knowledge construction, shared context of learning, teacher as a facilitator of knowledge construction, multidisciplinary nature of knowledge of teacher education, integration of theory and practice dimensions, and engagement with issues and concerns of contemporary Indian society from a critical perspective. Work as a Pedagogic Medium The document identifies productive work on pedagogic medium in school curriculum from pre-primary to senior secondary stages. It pointed out that vocational education and training to conceived and implemented in a mission mode. Reform in Evaluation Practices at the Elementary Stage As per the NCF-2005, a good evaluation system should be an integral part of the learning process and benefit both the learners themselves and the educational system by giving credible feedback. The purpose of evaluation is:

To motivate children to learn under stress free environment To encourage collaborative learning To identify the deficit areas of learning To provide adequate intervention to ensure learning. To improve the teaching-learning process and materials To review the objectives those have been identified for different school stages.

NCF-2005 emphasizes on continuity in evaluation and states that routine activities and exercises need to be employed effectively to assess learning. Teachers need to collect, analyze and interpret students’ performances on various measures of the assessment and come to an understanding of the extent and nature of the students' learning in different domains. Well-designed assessment and regular report cards provide learners with feedback, and set standards for them to strive towards. They also serve to inform parents about the quality of learning and the development and progress of their wards. On the typology of questions the NCF-2005 states that the types of questions that are set for assessment need to go beyond what is given in the book. Often children's learning is restricted as teachers do not accept their answer if they are different from what is presented in the guidebooks. Questions that are open-ended and challenging could also be used. Designing good test items and questions is an art, and teachers should spend time thinking about and devising such questions. For elementary classes the NCF-2005 suggests that at classes I and II, assessment must be purely qualitative judgments of children's activities in various domains and an assessment of the status of their health and physical development, based on observations through everyday interactions. On no account should they be made to take any form of test, oral or written. From class III onwards, a variety of methods may be used, including oral and written tests and observations. Children should be aware that they are being assessed, but this must be seen by them as a part of the teaching process and not as a fearful constant threat. Grades or marks along with qualitative judgments of achievement and areas requiring attention are essential at this stage. Children's own self-evaluation can also be a part of the report card from Class V onwards. Rather than examinations, there could be short tests from time to time, which are criterion based. Partnerships between the school system and other civil society groups The NCF in its last part recommends partnerships between the school system and other civil society groups, including non-governmental organization and teacher organizations for moving ahead. The innovative experiences already available should be mainstreamed and awareness of the challenges implied in the U.E. should become a subject of wide ranging cooperation between the state and all agencies concerned with education. Discipline and Corporal Punishment

The NCF-2005 observes that forms of disciplining such as corporal punishment and, verbal and non-verbal abuse of children, continue to feature in many schools, and are used to humiliate children in front of their peers.

It is important or teachers to reflect on the rationale that underlies the rules and conventions that govern schools, and whether these are consistent with our aims of education. Inculcating the value/habit of self-discipline is important for the systematic pursuit of learning and development o the child’s interest and potential.

Teaching-learning in child’s mother tongue The school must affirm the child’s mother tongue(s) and ensure that it is never stigmatized in the curriculum. Further, multi-lingual’s which is a feature of the Indian linguistic landscape must be used both as a resource and as a strategy. The language programme must build on the child’s linguistic potential and further enrich it through literacy and learning scripts including brail. Children with language related impairments must be introduced to standard sign languages which can support their continued growth to the fullest. Language education is not confined to the language class room. All subjects involve the learning of terminology, understanding concepts and the ability to discuss and articulate critically. Children must be encouraged to consult books, talk to people in different languages and access materials from the internet fostering a policy of learning language across the curriculum in a multi-lingual ethos. Section II Interplay between RTE ACT 2009 and NCF-2005 on Curricular Concerns

2.1 Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 Education has become a fundamental right with the implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 implemented since April 2010. This Act shows nation’s commitment to provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years. Section 29 of the act emphasizes that while designing elementary school curriculum the institutions need to adhere to principles that

promote constitutional values, all round development of child, building of child’s knowledge, potentiality and talent, development of physical and mental abilities to the fullest extent, use of pedagogic approaches based on discovery, exploration and activities, freedom of child from fear and trauma, use of mother tongue, use of continuous and comprehensive evaluation Prohibit mental harassment and physical punishment of child.

As per the Act , there is a need to address state/UTs curricular and related policies in the light of NCF-2005 perspectives.

Elementary school Curriculum,At this stage, children need help in getting gradually accustomed to the formal routines of the school as well as in learning the basics of literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy (understanding and applying mathematical concepts and gaining systematic knowledge of the social and natural environment). That is why it is suggested that the basic principles already outlined here should be applied to develop the curriculum for the first two years of primary school. This would help in the transition to a different stage of education; it has to be done by curriculum designers and teachers at the primary level.The following guidelines are suggested:Goals for Teachers

Develop knowledge and skills in all areas of development. Help children learn how to learn. Respect individual patterns and timings of learning. Understand individual differences and learning styles.

Strategies for Classroom Interactions Provide concrete experiences. Teach through peer interaction. Encourage cooperative learning. Use the project method to initiate integrated learning. Work for the active involvement of children. Utilize drama for language teaching.

Teacher–Child Relationships Allow children to express their feelings. Share their trials and triumphs. Be responsive and reach out to children.

Conclusion: Ultimately, even the best curriculum can be transacted only by a trained and sensitive teacher. To make a success story of ECCE from 0 to 8 years, a new type of teacher is required, one who is professionally trained and specifically sensitized to the perspectives of child development. The professional preparation of teachers for this stage, hitherto

unplanned and uncared for, calls for thoughtful planning of training sequences relevant to the developmental needs of early childhood

Summary.1 An overview of Elementary Schooling

1. The period of elementary school (from Class I to Class VIII) is as the period of compulsory schooling vides the constitutional provision under education as a fundamental right.

2. This period of eight years is one of tremendous cognitive development, shaping reason, intellect and social skills, as well as the skills and attitudes necessary for entering the work place.

3. The beginning of this period marks the formal introduction of the child to reading, writing and arithmetic, culminating in the introduction of the formal disciplines such as the sciences and the social sciences towards the end of elementary school.

4. There is need for plurality and flexibility without compromising on standards. Education during this period must be of an integrated character, enabling children to acquire facility in language and expression and to grow in self-confidence as learners, both within and outside school.

5. The first concern of the school is on the development of the child's language competence: oral expression and literacy, and the ability to use language to create, to think and to communicate with others.

6. Special stress is needed to ensure opportunities for those who wish to study in their mother tongue, including tribal languages, even if the number of students is small. The ability of the system to promote and nurture these options, along with working out mechanisms to ensure that future options remain open, is a marker of its ability to provide for quality education. There must be a creative and concerted effort to maintain the multilingual genius of Indians and implement the three-language formula. While English may be taught during this period, it must not be at the expense of learning Indian languages.

7. The development of mathematical thinking, beginning with learning numeracy and moving towards the enjoyment of and facility with more abstract ideas, needs to be supported with concrete experiences and work with manipulations. Diagnosing learning difficulties and addressing this through remedial work in language and mathematics must begin in the early years.

8. Concrete experiences are also essential in the integrated study of the environment through which children's intuitive knowledge of the world is integrated into school knowledge. Over the years, this study should move towards a more disciplinary approach, but with integrative themes, within which there are opportunities to develop concepts and learn the vocabulary and methods of the discipline.

9. The study of arts and crafts promotes the development of aesthetic sensibility, learning how to manipulate materials and attitudes and skills essential for work. The exposure to practical life skills, work experiences and physical development through sports activities are also a must.

10. A variety of activities at this stage of schooling should be made available, including participating in cultural programmes, organising events, travelling to places outside the school, providing experiences to develop socially and emotionally into creative and confident individuals.

11. The approach to the whole curriculum should be process oriented rather than outcome oriented. All these arenas of development should be made available to all children. Care must be taken to ensure that the curriculum does not reinforce stereotypes about preferences, choices and capabilities of different groups. The gradual inclusion of vocationally oriented skills would make the curriculum more inclusive. How children (in their formative years) learn:

1. Children learn when they find reflection of their own experiences and contexts in the textbooks and classroom teaching-learning processes.

2. Children learn by making meaning of what is presented before them. So, developing their capacity for abstract thinking, reflection on work are the most important aspects of leaning.

3. Children learn in a variety of ways-through experience, making and doing things, experimentation, reading, discussion, asking, listening, thinking and reflecting, and expressing oneself in speech, movement or writing-both individually and with others. They require opportunities of all these kinds in the course of their development.

4. Children learn in a spiral and not a linear way. Thus revisiting concepts again and again helps them to understand better. The act of learning involves a process of establishing connections among facts observed/experienced or realized by children. The new learning, therefore, is to be based not only on the preceding facts and information but could be related even to things acquired long back in school, home or elsewhere. Hence, learning does not proceed in a linear manner.

5. Children learn through the mistakes and errors they make.

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Rajinder (1998): Some Aspects of Upper Primary Stage of Education in India – A Study, New Delhi, NCERT.

3. MHRD (1986, revised, 1992): National Policy on Education, New Delhi, MHRD, Govt. of India.

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Textbooks, NewDelhi, NCERT.

12. Yadav, M.S. & Lakshmi, T.K.S. (2003): Conceptual Inputs for Secondary Teacher Education: TheInstructional Role, NCTE, New Delhi.

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14. Yadav, S.K. (2007): Implementation of School Curriculum in India at Primary Stage in Different States,

Websites1. www.ncert.nic.in

Books 1. Early childhood care & education by Sen Gupta2. Early child hood care & education ECCE Book .3