When the NEP was introduced, there was discussion about including the latest subjects like artificial intelligence in the 10th grade curriculum. In response to a question in the Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi acknowledged that the Adolescent Peer Educators Leadership Program and CBSE have both advised running such courses.
The LokSabha was informed by Minister of State for Education Annpurna Devi that the National Education Policy 2020 has recommended coordinated curriculum and pedagogical initiatives, including the introduction of modern subjects such as Artificial Intelligence,Data Science, Design Thinking, Holistic Health, OrganicLiving, Environmental Education, Global Citizenship Education (GCED), etc. at relevant stages.
From the academic year 2021-2022, CBSE intends to introduce data science as a topic for students in classes 9 to 12, and as a 12-hour skill module for students in classes 8 and up. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) made this choice in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020). According to the board, it is committed to helping school children develop their skills.
CBSE With Adolescent Peer Educators Leadership Program to introduce Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Design Thinking Soon
In a reply to a member’s query, Devi said The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has advised its schools to integrate 21st-century skills with curriculum and teaching methodology to ensure students develop these skills. A handbook on 21st-century skills for teachers has also been designed.
The board has also introduced new subjects such as Artificial Intelligence, Design Thinking, and Data Science, etc to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. The Board has been organizing the Adolescent Peer Educators Leadership Program to develop life skills among students. With regard to the steps taken by CBSE to reduce curriculum load, they have released their syllabi for the year 2022-23 with reduced contents as per the deductions done by NCERT.
Focus on growth of children
In another response, the minister stated that the National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA), an integrated teacher training programme, has been established for Secondary Stage, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), and ECCE, and that NCERT has begun the process of developing National Curriculum Frameworks by taking inputs from diverse stakeholders such as Ministries/Departments, States, and UTs, pulling from grass root levels in a de-centered manner.
States and UTs have also begun the process of creating their State Curriculum Frameworks (SCFs), which will include Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), School Education (SE), Teacher Education (TE), and Adult Education.
These processes include district-level consultations, mobile app surveys, and the development of position papers by State Focus Groups. NCERT has created the Foundational Stage of the National Curriculum Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCFECCE). It is India’s first ever comprehensive curricular framework for kids between the ages of 3 and 8. It is a direct result of the 5+3+3+4 “curricular and pedagogical” structure for school instruction that NEP 2020 has developed.
The Framework contains some innovative concepts for implementing high-quality school education, including play as the central element of the teaching-learning process, an environmentally conscious lifestyle, and learning about the outside world. To facilitate the accomplishment of fundamental reading and numeracy for all children, the framework has given stimulating experiences for the child’s growth in all dimensions-cognitive, social-emotional, and physical.
Attention on Extra Curricular Learning and character building
“The key overall thrust of curriculum and pedagogy reform across all stages will be to move the education system towards real understanding and towards learning how to learn – and away from the culture of rote learning as is largely present today,” the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 stated minister.
The goal of education will be to enhance students’ cognitive abilities as well as their character and create whole, well-rounded people who possess the essential 21st century skills. In the end, education aids in the manifestation of knowledge as the perfection that is already ingrained in a person. To achieve these important objectives, the entire curriculum and pedagogy will be reoriented and overhauled.
For integration and absorption at every learning stage, from preschool to higher education, certain sets of values and abilities from across domains will be found. The development of curriculum frameworks and transaction mechanisms will make sure that these values and skills are inculcated through fun teaching and learning activities.
In the National Curriculum Framework for early childhood and school education, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will identify these necessary skill sets and create mechanisms for their transaction. The NEP, 2020 also states in paragraph 4.5 that “Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core necessities to make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning.
Important concepts, ideas, applications, and problem-solving will be the focus of the required content. Questions will be welcomed, and classroom sessions will frequently include more enjoyable, creative, collaborative, and exploratory activities for students to engage in deeper, more immersive learning. Teaching and learning will be performed in a more interactive manner.
