National Curriculum Framework proposes Board exams twice a year

Source: The post is based on the article “National Curriculum Framework proposes Board exams twice a year”  published in The Hindu on 24th August 2023.

What is the News?

The Union Minister for Education has released the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE).

What is the National Curriculum Framework(NCF)?

Click Here to read

What is the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE)?

The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) is the curriculum framework for the 5+3+3+4 design of schooling as proposed by the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020).

The framework ensures that it covers all stages of schooling. It sets clear learning standards and competencies, enabling teachers to foster critical thinking, creativity, and genuine understanding.

The framework also empowers educators, encourages engaging pedagogies and emphasizes the importance of school culture and values.

Note: It’s important to note that the National Education Policy(NEP) 2020 and the NCFs, based on the education policy, are not binding on the states.

What are the key recommendations given in the framework?

Languages: Students in Classes 9 and 10 will need to learn three languages, of which at least two will be native to India. 

– In Classes 11 and 12, students will learn two languages, including one of Indian origin.

– Currently, students in Classes 9 and 10 study two languages, and students in Class 11 and 12 study one language.

Board Exams: All students will be allowed to take Board exams on at least two occasions during any given school year, with only the best score being retained.

No stream restrictions: For grades 11 and 12, the previously followed system of science, commerce and humanities streams has been eliminated.

– Instead, the NCF says that the students will be offered “choice-based courses” that will enable flexibility and remove hard separations between disciplines and academic areas.

Mandatory Subjects: So far, the students from Classes 9 to 12 studied five mandatory subjects, with an option of adding one more subject. Now, the number of mandatory subjects for Classes 9 and 10 is seven and it’s six for Classes 11 and 12.

Semester system: In the long term, all Boards should change to semester or term-based systems, where students can be tested in a subject as soon as they have completed the subject, which would reduce the content load being tested in any one examination.

Classes 6 to 8: NCF states that 20% content would be from the local level for the Social Science curriculum, 30% content would be from the regional level, 30% would be from the national level and 20% content would be global.

Environmental Education is given due emphasis across all stages of schooling, culminating in a separate area of study in the Secondary Stage.