Question : NCERT Syllabus

(a) whether the Government contemplates to reduce the current National Council of
Education Research and Training (NCERT) school syllabus by half from the next academic
year;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
(c) whether the Government is likely to make it implemented for all classes by all the State
Boards in the country;
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor;
(e) the benefits, the students are likely to get from such move and the time by which new
syllabus is likely to be introduced; and
(f) the steps taken/to be taken by the Government for unveiling the proposed New Education
Policy at the earliest?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)
(a) & (b) The purpose of education is to bring out a good human being out of the system.
For real development along with knowledge, Life Skill education, value education, physical
education, experiential learning is essential. Creative skills need to be nurtured. It was demand
from all stakeholders that because of heavy curriculum, there is no time left for all these aspects.
Also rote learning is not the way forward. Therefore, School Syllabus must be rationalized. To
achieve this, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been
advised to undertake an exercise to review its syllabus with a view to reducing the curriculum
load on the students. They have conducted a workshop in this regard and have come out with
following plan of action for reducing the Curriculum burden:
<pre>
1. Analysis of NCERT’s syllabi and textbooks across subject areas and classes focusing
on the following:
a. Learning outcomes.
b. Curriculum linkages across classes and subjects
c. Overlapping in the content (science and geography; physics and chemistry,
etc.)
d. Comprehensibility of language
e. Age-appropriateness of the content
f. Diverse contexts
</pre>
2. Inviting suggestions from teachers, students, parents and other stake holders through
web portal on the reduction of curriculum load.
3. Developing framework for Experiential Learning through mapping of curricular
concepts, life skills and values for holistic development of children.
Suggestions have been invited from various stakeholders through the website of the
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on 05.03.2018. The suggestions can be
made till April 6th, 2018. NCERT has also placed an advertisement in the newspapers informing
the stakeholders about the MHRD’s website for sending their suggestions on rationalizing
curriculum burden.
(c) & (d) The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) sets the guidelines and direction
for the development of syllabi and textbooks at all the school stages. As a follow up to the NCF,
model curriculum, syllabi, text-books and other supplementary material are developed by
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Education, being a subject in
the Concurrent List of the Constitution and substantial majority of schools being under the
jurisdiction of the State Governments, it is for the respective State Governments to either adopt
or adapt the model curriculum, syllabi and textbooks developed by the NCERT or develop their
own curriculum, syllabi and textbooks based on the National Curriculum Framework for their
schools.
(e) As explained in reply to the Parts (a) and (b) above, the rationalization of the syllabus
would facilitate the students for their holistic development. The Government has already
initiated the process to review the syllabus, however, no fixed time frame can be set up for
completion of the exercise at this stage.
(f) The Government has set up a Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. K.
Kasturirangan for preparation of the Draft National Educational Policy.
*****