National Curriculum Framework: A Guide
The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is set up and implemented in association with the National Education Policy (NEP). The Ministry of Education (MoE) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) combine to develop this comprehensive strategy aimed at raising the education sector standards in the country.
Devised in four different frameworks and set to play a supportive role in boosting the education niche, NCF is here to stay. This article explores everything there is to know about the National Curriculum Framework and related details. Learn more about NCF here.
Introduction
National Curriculum Framework has been proposed and propagated since 1975 in numerous versions. The latest one is in sync with the NEP system guidelines and aims at an overall raise in the education category.
Each building block of the domain is taken one by one and is given an effective stimulation for its development with the aid of efficient planning, strategic implementation and innovative changes. The concept of curriculum offers a transparent look into achieving educational goals and objectives that gives an organised experience for students.
The framework for these curricula is at its best and optimal performance if it is implemented on a national level. It ensures the placement and positioning of an educational paradigm shift reliant on teacher, student and learning environment growth rooted in culture and tradition.
National Curriculum Framework: Explanation
Apart from the points we mentioned about NCF earlier, it is the result of cutting-edge technology and research in the education sector worldwide. The responsiveness of this domain matches well with its responsibility to an inside view of how future education resources should be portrayed.
Ultimately, NEP 2020 devises a structure in which NCFs are divided into four different units, all carrying significant individual value. These are explained below.
Four Sections of The National Curriculum Framework
The four sections of the NCF are four different pillars under the NEP system pedagogy. They are divided in a phase-by-phase manner where one follows the other by design to ensure students with capable reception of strategic learning evolution.
The National Curriculum Framework for School Education
NCFSE includes all the help and support provided to the learners in the school education category. These mainly cover the standardized set of guidelines for textbooks, syllabi and teaching practices.
The National Curriculum Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education
NCFECCE focuses on providing holistic education to the child from a very young age. This type of process-oriented curriculum builds the career of a student from the foundational stage.
The National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education
NCFTE acts as a guiding light for the teachers and their training roles in education, imparting value and distinct empowerment. It forms a crucial part of the NCF norms in the modern learning system.
The National Curriculum Framework for Adult Education
NEP 2020 allocates space to education privileges for adults too, with the NCFAE program. It acts as a milestone in creating essential value for schooling under age-appropriate strategies.
Who Created The National Curriculum Framework?
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) based in India is the entity that presents the National Curriculum Framework. NCF is developed and implemented in sync with the NEP system 2020. These guidelines have existed and have been in constant revision for the years 1975, 1988, 2000, and 2005.
What does The National Curriculum Framework Offer?
NCF offers salient points for improving the education design to an outcome-based process. Well-organized reform plans are laid out in this model, with an effective focus on clear and defined standards that all who are part of the learning environment must follow.
Students occupy the most significant role in this education reform process. Curriculum changes have the power to boost their personal lives and careers simultaneously.
List Out The Main Features of The National Curriculum Framework
The primary features that the National Curriculum Framework offers are as follows:
» School reform pointers.
» Class environment reform pointers.
» Curriculum reform tips.
» Assessment reform tips.
» Systemic reform points.
» Learning process reforms.
» Knowledge process reforms.
Objectives of National Curriculum Framework
With a well-structured policy-building process and guidelines in place, NCF relies heavily on goal-oriented objectives. These objectives are the building blocks of the whole framework. Listed below are the most vital National Curriculum Framework objectives.
Modernising The Indian Education System
The Indian education system will receive more value and credible status if the traditional education system is mixed with modern culture. This is what the NCF offers on a dynamic level.
Changes to Curriculum
A core objective of NCF is to make sufficient changes to the existing curriculum, which has various handicaps to overcome. Priority is to make essential changes in all levels of the pedagogical structure.
Targeting Realistic Changes
The reality of our education system is that no sudden changes are possible, which causes a huge turnover of the whole system in one go. So to make the step-by-step changes that will make a clear impact on the system, NCF is the way to go.
Specifying Stakeholder’s Duties
The stakeholders are personnel and entities who have a say in the implementation of the NCF. One of the objectives of NCF is to specify the duties and responsibilities that match their role and maximize their potential.
Emphasising on Teachers
NCF aims to create a balanced learning environment in schooling systems with an emphasis on teachers. The framework offers clear points on how to proceed efficiently in allocating ample space for teachers to develop and deliver.
Innovating for The Better
With a disciplined layout like the NCF set in motion, innovative and creative strategies in the education sector will be on a high. Going forward,
guided changes can happen to contribute to an even better innovation quotient.
Strategies for Implementing National Curriculum Framework
The various strategies to support the implementation and impact of the National Curriculum Framework are as follows:
» The expansion of knowledge and passion for education to off-campus activities.
» Effective application of collaborative and coordinative techniques to serve as a guiding light.
» Flexible and integrated methods for shifting the learning practices to the modern version.
» Personalized learning support strategy.
» Professional learning community-building activity.
» Digital transformation-based learning processes.
» The insight-oriented and paperless approach in the documentation.
» Development of focus groups based on areas or themes.
Main Variables that Affect The Design and Planning of The Curriculum
The National Curriculum Framework is designed, planned and maintained in check with several domain-based features. These could be in the political, social, economic, environmental and technological domains.
Political
The political aspects of the NCF are covered under a transitional mode. Students will have a better idea about the changing political landscape and how it affects their lives and careers.
A few connecting factors in this regard are multidisciplinary development, critical thinking, analytical thinking, pedagogical structure analysis and curriculum contributions.
Social
In the social domain, the learners will develop the emotional intelligence ability to understand and manage their responses to social norms. It should be shifted in such a way as to help the students respond positively.
A productive work-oriented mentality will be developed in children with a focus on mindfulness, love for the environment and a positive attitude. Ethical and cultural development also comes under this category.
Economic
Perhaps, the most significant of variables for modern times could be in the economic domain. This owes to the subcategories in the same manner that correspond to one’s cognitive, logical, reasoning and aesthetic development goals.
Being aware of the economic domain is going to help a learner grow to their maximum potential. It is good for individual development and collective national growth.
Environmental
The rising demands of present-day environmental risks certainly deserve a mention in the pedagogy and curriculum frameworks. Students must connect emotionally with their natural environment.
The environmental aspect goes hand in hand with the other domains too. It is given the most relevance during the foundational and early stage development of a learner.
Technological
The technological domain factors cannot be overstated in this context, considering the rising digitization practices in the current era of education and learning. It’s the person that should develop first and then connect with technology for optimum results.
Technology factors should be portrayed to the students to keep their social, emotional, physical and mental attributes in check. This is the most dynamic of the existing domains and the one that is set to undergo the best changes.
Are The National Curriculum Framework and The National Educational Policy Interchangeable?
The NCF and NEP are thoroughly connected. As for their interdependence and usage, the best solution is to think of it as one using the other to develop and advance the learning domain.
Let us think of the NEP as a guiding philosophy that drives the modern schooling system. The NCF occupies the role of a pathway or route to achieve this target philosophy that boosts the learning ecosystem.
Consider using the applications of NCF and NEP together to receive the best of the learning potential that our students can receive as part of a larger system. What you should keep an eye on are the constant upgrades that both NEP and NCF systems systematically undergo.
Distinguishing Initial National Curriculum Framework from Recent National Curriculum Framework
NCERT, set up in 1961, started with the first National Curriculum Framework for schools in 1975. Since then, versions have been released in 1988, 2000 and 2005. Though the last full upgrade happened in 2005, there has been a recent update in the form of systemic reforms concerning education in the foundational stages. Early child care in the age group 3 – 8 years is now given crucial value as it creates more chances to groom the student from their initial learning years.
Initial National Curriculum Framework
The first National Curriculum Framework was published by the NCERT in 1975. It propagated the concept of a 10+2 school education system with general learning amounting to ten years. Science and integrated science subjects were given more value in this initial version.
How Frequently did The National Curriculum Framework Form?
Subsequent versions of the NCF were released in 1988, 2000, and 2005 with the latest update rolled out during 2021-22. The 1988 version gave utmost significance to cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. This framework was followed by the 2000 update, which focused on learning in science, technology and environmental studies.
Most Recent National Curriculum Framework
The latest complete NCF version was in 2005, with the main concentration on improving the syllabus beyond textbooks and classrooms. Its 2021-22 changes are of vital value to the learning domain.
The ongoing and recently published National Curriculum Framework is divided into four sections – early education, school education, teacher education and adult education.
Alterations Occurred Between The Initial and Current National Curriculum Framework
The primary change that distinguishes the initial and current national curriculum framework is in the learning approach. A lot has changed in the education sector and other general categories for nearly fifty years. None tops these changes in the learning domain than how it expanded from mere textbooks and classrooms to the extraordinary concept of holistic education.
Digital transformation introduction is a point that we can recommend in this scenario. One thing of note is how digitization has increased the value of learning techniques over the years, making it more fun and immersive for students.
The initial frameworks focused on creating and delivering a structured and syllabus-based model. The latest upgrades keep on reinventing methods to improve the syllabus and its implementation in other core areas of learning.
The vision, mission, general guidelines and guiding policies have all changed over the years. If the beginning focused on transforming the lives of students, now it is about the transformation of education itself as a domain.
Why is The National Curriculum Framework Concentrated on Panchakosha Notions?
The concept of Panchakosa is an ancient Indian theory focused on a healthy connection between the mind and body. Pancha means five, and Kosha means sheath or covering of one’s self.
The National Curriculum Framework regulations are built on the Panchakosa notion where each layer is to undergo significant development, paving the route for learners to adapt, grow and progress in all areas of life. These five Koshas extend to physical, mental, intellectual, spiritual and life energy domains.
Sharirik Vikas (Physical Development)
The development of the physical domain is Sharirik Vikas. It is done through games, sports, meditation exercises and other physical activities where the student will learn the value of movement.
Pranik Vikas (Life Energy Development)
This is an absolute gem of a concept to follow as Pranik Vikas covers the essentialities of life force or life energy development. It builds a learner to achieve the basics of holistic learning.
Manasik Vikas (Mental Development)
Mental and emotional development is an important part of educational activities, and Manasik Vikas includes this part. It deals with the creation of a positive mindset and enthusiastic attitude towards life.
Chaitsik Vikas (Spiritual Development)
Spiritual enlightenment and learning are always beneficial factors for every student, and it is the main part of Chaitsik Vikas. This is where the learner gets to know about the energy balance and the major functioning of all vital systems.
Bauddhik Vikas (Intellectual Development)
Your learning process is never complete without intellectual development. Bauddhik Vikas concentrates on this point with an emphasis on improving a student’s intellect.
Jaadui Pitara: Reason for Launch
Jaadui Pitara is a conceptual example of how foundational stage education can be taken to its best possible level. It includes ground-breaking content in the form of puzzles, games, posters, flashcards, story cards, playbooks (for students), handbooks (for teachers), toys, puppets, etc.
Learners in the younger age group (3 – 8 years) will mightily develop using these techniques, which serves as the best solution for engaging them consistently in their learning activities. The main reason for the launch of Jaadui Pitara is to create a diverse teaching and learning platform for children and teachers to develop together and in a connected fashion.
How can The National Curriculum Framework Improve Our Learning Outcomes?
NCF is a result-oriented process that gives sufficient value to the personal and professional development of students and teachers alike. If we maintain a level of consistency in learning activities, the results can reach their best possible grades. These results are measured more using intangible factors than the regular, test-oriented outcome.
National Curriculum Framework also offers enough ground for guided education model systems like NEP 2020 to develop. It serves as an excellent set of standards to ensure the holistic improvement of learners.
Significant Issues with The National Curriculum Framework
As is the case with numerous other systems, the National Curriculum Framework addresses its own set of concerns. The most discussed issues in the NCF are listed below:
More Focus on Grades and Marks
Though the idea of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities is available in the NCF guidelines set, the focus is still on test clearance and curriculum completion. Grades, marks and assessment points still find the most application than all other evaluation techniques.
The Substantial Strain on The Teachers
Teachers have to do extra work on their teaching methods as NCF lays out more task-oriented activities for learning. There are occasions when it gets to an exhausting point making it harder for teachers to participate in techniques like upskilling and career development.
Students’ Use of Repetition-based Learning
The learning mode under the NCF guidelines follows a repetition-based process, making it hard for students to come out of their sources. But this is on a personalized level, with the probability of conditions varying within learning ecosystems.
Students’ Lack of Understanding of What They Are Learning
Not all students will have a complete idea of expanded curriculum models in a learning environment. The syllabus shouldn’t be the primary driving factor that supports them to progress in their careers.
Institutional Lack of Supervision
If schooling environments lack adequate supervision or effective monitoring control, it could pose a problem for the students and teachers. The implementation of NCF requires appropriate institutional management.
Conclusion
An innovative prospect like the National Curriculum framework is founded on the principle of leading the transformation of the education sector in India. Therefore, expect this to run as a continuous process with numerous upgrades and technical/technological shifts occurring along the way. Stay tuned to this space for more on NCF and its potential impact on the education industry.
