Aiming to relieve students from “curriculum overload” and for a more “holistic education”, the NCERT textbooks’ content will be reduced by 10 to 15 percent for academic year 2019-20 as a part of HRD ministry-prodded rationalisation exercise, Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday, 5 January.
“We have decided to reduce curriculum by 50 percent,” said Javadekar in a National Council of Educational Research and Training general council meeting, reported Hindustan Times.
“Curriculum will be reviewed to ensure holistic education in which there will be time for physical education, value education, life-skills education and experiential learning. The curriculum needs to be reduced. We have decided to reduce curriculum by 50 percent. This year, there will be 10-15 percent reduction. Next year it will be more. Finally, in 2021, the target will be achieved,”Prakash Javadekar, union HRD minister, said after the meeting.
Calling it a scientific exercise, Javadekar suggested that by removing duplication and redundant portions, the curriculum can be cut down significantly.
The number of NCERT textbooks published would go up from 6 crore last year to 8 crore this year to ensure adequate supply, he stated.
‘Education Performance Indicators to Grade States’
According to Javadekar, all the states will be assessed on performance indicators based on 70 parameters.
E-attendance for teachers will be one of the parameters and will focus on the problem of absenteeism.
On the No Detention Policy, Javadekar said states were being allowed to conduct exams in classes 5 and 8 to improve the learning quality, Hindustan Times reported.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)