HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

Until 1976, Indian constitution allowed the state governments to take decisions on all matters pertaining to school education including curriculum. The centre could only provide guidance to the states on policy issues. It was under such circumstances that the initial attempts of National Education Policy of 1968 and the Curriculum Framework designed by NCERT in 1975 were formulated. NCERT developed NCF in 1975 following the recommendations of Education Policy on 1968. 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 National Policy on Education (NPE-1986) which envisions National Curriculum Framework as a means of modernising education. The Policy proposed a national framework of curriculum as a means of evolving a national system of education capable of responding to India’s geographical and cultural diversity while ensuring a common core values and a comparable standards of education. NPE-1986 emphasised a relevant, flexible and learner-centred curriculum.

It recommended a common core component in school education throughout the country. The policy also entrusted the NCERT with the responsibility of developing the National Curriculum Framework and reviewing the framework at frequent intervals. Hence, in 1988 NCERT prepared the National Curriculum Framework for school education based on the recommendations of NPE-1986. After that it was felt that curriculum needs to be flexible and relevant to meet the needs of diverse learners. Also issues of curriculum load and examinations stress needed attention. Therefore, National Curriculum Framework was reviewed in the year 2000 and then in 2005 and the latest NCF-2005 appeared as a result of this review.

 NCF-1975 Following recommendation of Education Policy in 1968

 NCF-1988 Following recommendation of Education Policy in 1986

 NCF-2000 Revised NCF-1988

 NCF-2005 Revised NCF-2000

In India, NCERT develops National Curriculum Framework which provides guidelines for developing syllabi and textbooks and school curriculum. NCF-2005 prepared by NCERT discusses a wide range of issues concerning school education. The framework discusses aims of education; epistemological assumption about nature and forms of knowledge; and assumptions about learner and learning. It places learner at the centre and gives primacy to voices and experiences of learners. The framework views that knowledge is evolving in nature and is created involving learners as active participants in the process of knowledge construction. NCF-2005 recommends curricular areas to be taught at different stages of school education. The NCF-2005 also recommends that Arts education and Physical and Health education should be made curricular subjects at elementary and secondary stage and optional subjects at higher secondary stage. It also discusses the objectives and pedagogy of these subjects. It recommends that assessment of learner should be made an integral part of school life. It also discusses the necessary systemic reforms including examination reforms and teacher education reforms to achieve the aims of education. Some discussion about enabling school environment is also given in NCF-2005. NCF-2005 reiterates the recommendations of National Policy on Education (NPE-1986).

RECOMMENDATIONS OF NCFS ON SCIENCE CURRICULUM

The NCF of 1975 recommended 10+2 system of school education with general education of 10 years. The NCF of 1975 also recommends that general science should be a core compulsory subject up to Class X. The framework suggests activity-based integrated science up to Class X.

            The 1988 National Curriculum for Elementary and Secondary Education (NCESE): A Framework recommends learner-centered science curriculum. It also recommends that general science should be a compulsory subject up to class X. The 1988 NCESE suggests that science

education should aim at developing well-defined abilities in cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains such as spirit of inquiry, creativity, objectivity, the courage to question and aesthetic sensibility. At the primary stage during the first two years (Classes I and II), study of science should form an integral part of environmental studies. In Classes III, IV, V, it should be one of the two parts of environmental studies – one devoted to science and the other to social studies. At upper primary stage (Classes VI to VIII), learner is expected to consolidate and strengthen the abilities acquired at the primary stage. Science education at this stage should help the learner to develop skills of manipulation, handling simple science equipment and designing of simple experiments to seek explanations of natural phenomena. At the secondary stage (Classes IX and X), the aim of teaching science would be primarily directed towards problem solving and decision making through the learning of key concepts which cut across all disciplines of science.

            The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE)-2000 recommends teaching of science and technology at upper primary and secondary stage. At the primary stage, science should form an integral part of environment studies. NCFSE-2000 recommends teaching science and technology in Classes VI to X as a single discipline. It was felt that technology is increasingly influencing our lives and therefore, needs to be included in the science course. At the senior secondary stage, teaching-learning of science takes a disciplinary

approach as physics, chemistry and biology.

            The National Curriculum Framework-2005 recommends hands-on, inquiry-based science curriculum. NCF-2005 also addresses the issues of curriculum load, rote memorisation and rigid examination system. NCF-2005 suggests flexible examination system and time schedule, reducing curriculum load and integration of theory and practical work in teaching-learning of science. NCF-2005 recognises learner as constructor of knowledge and suggests that learners be provided with learning-experiences which enable them to inquire, solve problems and develop their own concepts.

            NCF-2005 recommends that emphasis should be laid on the active participation of the learner in the construction of their knowledge. While developing science curriculum in 2005, it was decided not to combine technology with science. The information load in syllabus was reduced and only age appropriate concepts were included. The syllabus was prepared in the light of NCF-2005 and recommendations of the report ‘Learning without Burden’ were also considered. A thematic approach was adopted to organise the content and the syllabus was framed along cross disciplinary line. The themes included in the syllabus were Food, Materials, The World of the Living, How Things Work, Moving Things, People and Ideas, Natural Phenomenon and Natural Resources. These themes run from upper primary to the secondary stage and there is consolidation of themes at the secondary stage. The 2005 syllabus has been presented in four columns titled as questions, key concepts, suggested resource and suggested activities.

            At the primary stage, the child should be engaged in joyfully exploring the world around and harmonising with it. The main objectives at this stage are to arouse curiosity about the world (natural environment, artifacts and people) and to engage the child in exploratory and hands on activities.

            At the upper primary stage science education should provide a gradual transition from environmental studies of the primary stage to elements of science and technology. Science content at the upper primary stage should not be governed by disciplinary approach. At this stage the child should be engaged in learning the principles of science through familiar experiences, working with hands to simple technological models.

            At the secondary stage, students should be engaged in learning science as a composite discipline, in working with hands and tools to design more advanced technological models than at the upper primary stage.

            At the higher secondary stage, science should be introduced as a separate discipline, with emphasis on experiments/technology and problem solving.

CRITERIA FOR AN IDEAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM (NCF-2005)

Good science education is true to the child, true to life and true to science. This simple observation leads to the following basic criteria of validity of a science curriculum:

a) Cognitive validity requires that the content, process, language and pedagogical practices of the curriculum are age appropriate, and within the cognitive reach of the child.

b) Content validity requires that the curriculum must convey significant and correct scientific content. Simplification of content, which is necessary to adapt the curriculum to the cognitive level of the learner, must not be so trivialized as to convey something basically flawed and/or meaningless.

c) Process validity requires that the curriculum engage the learner in acquiring the methods and processes that lead to generation and validation of scientific knowledge, and nurture the natural curiosity and creativity of the child in science. Process validity is an important criterion since it helps the student in ‘learning to learn’ science.

d) Historical validity requires that science curriculum be informed by a historical perspective, enabling the learner to appreciate how the concepts of science evolve with time. It also helps the learner to view science as a social enterprise and to understand how social factors influence the development of science.

e) Environmental validity requires that science be placed in the wider context of the learner’s environment, local and global, enabling him/her to appreciate the issues at the interface of science, technology and society and preparing him / her with the requisite knowledge and skills to enter the world of work.

f) Ethical validity requires that the curriculum promote the values of honesty, objectivity, co-operation, freedom from fear and prejudice, and develop in the learner a concern for life and preservation of environment.

SCIENCE CURRICULUM AT DIFFERENT STAGES

Consistent with the criteria above, the objectives, content, pedagogy and assessment for different stages of the curriculum are summarized below.

At the primary stage the child should be engaged in joyfully exploring the world around and harmonizing with it. The objectives at this stage are to nurture the curiosity of the child about the world (natural environment, artifacts and people), to have the child engage in exploratory and hands on activities to acquire the basic cognitive and psychomotor skills through observation, classification, inference, etc.; to emphasize design and fabrication, estimation and measurement as a prelude to development of technological and quantitative skills of later stages; and to develop the basic language skills: speaking, reading and writing not only for science but also through science. Science and social science should be integrated as ‘Environmental Studies’ as at present, with health as an important component. Throughout the primary stage, there should be no formal periodic tests, no awarding of grades or marks, and no detention.

At the upper primary stage the child should be engaged in learning principles of science through familiar experiences, working with hands to design simple technological units and modules (e.g. designing and making a working model of a windmill to lift weights) and continuing to learn more on environment and health through activities and surveys. Scientific concepts are to be arrived at mainly from activities and experiments. Science content at this stage is not to be regarded as a diluted version of secondary school science. Group activity, discussions with peers and teachers, surveys, organization of data and their display through exhibitions, etc. in schools and neighbourhood are to be an important component of pedagogy. There should be continuous as well as periodic assessment (unit tests, term end tests). The system of ‘direct’ grades should be adopted. There should be no detention. Every child who attends eight years of school should be eligible to enter Class IX.

At the secondary stage the students should be engaged in learning science as a composite discipline, in working with hands and tools to design more advanced technological modules than at the upper primary stage, and in activities and analysis on issues surrounding environment and health. Systematic experimentation as a tool to discover/verify theoretical principles, and working on locally significant projects involving science and technology are to be important parts of the curriculum at this stage.

At the higher secondary stage science should be introduced as separate disciplines with emphasis on experiments/technology and problem solving. The current two streams, academic and vocational, being pursued as per NPE 1986 may require a fresh look in the present scenario. The students may be given an option to choose the subjects of their interest freely, though it may not be feasible to offer all the different subjects in every school. The curriculum load should be rationalized to avoid the steep gradient between secondary and higher secondary syllabus. At this stage, core topics of a discipline, taking into account recent advances, should be carefully identified and treated with appropriate rigour and depth. The tendency to superficially cover a large number of topics of the discipline should be avoided.

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