The Hindu : National : NCERT asked to initiate 'action for curriculum renewal'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 22, 2004

National

National

NCERT asked to initiate 'action for curriculum renewal'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 21. After bringing back the history textbooks replaced by the Murli Manohar Joshi regime, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has initiated the process for a review of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education brought out by the previous dispensation.

The Education Secretary, B.S. Baswan, today dashed off a letter to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) asking it to ``initiate action for curriculum renewal'' in ``harmony with the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution.''

On Tuesday, the Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, had informed the Lok Sabha that the school curriculum framework was going to be reviewed.

While this was one of the recommendations of the three-member panel of historians entrusted with the task of undertaking a quick review of the history textbooks currently in use, the Ministry has decided to go in for a curriculum renewal on the premise that the National Policy on Education mandates such an exercise every five years.

``Since the present curriculum framework was released four years ago, it is time to initiate the process of review and renewal of the curriculum,'' the Secretary pointed out in his letter to the NCERT Director.

Chalking out the parameters for the review, Mr. Baswan said with reference to the criticism of NCERT textbooks in the recent past that while undertaking the exercise, the Council should ``address the question of how the books emanating from a new curriculum framework could be insulated from such distortions.''

Further, referring to the criticism regarding ``the short-circuiting and the inadequacies of procedures followed during the finalisation of the earlier review,'' NCERT has been asked to ensure that ``the processes as laid down or that have evolved over a period of time are not violated.''

To underscore the need for the curriculum to be tailored to the spirit of the Constitution, the Secretary has quoted the Preamble in his letter; stating that those involved in the revision should be constantly reminded of it.

Also, NCERT has been asked to keep in mind the Yashpal Committee report on `Learning without Burden.'

The existing curriculum was brought out on Children's Day in 2000 and the new textbooks have been in circulation since 2002-03.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National