New Delhi, Oct 20: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday launched the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for the foundational stage for children between ages three to eight.
This is the first time the NCF has been prepared for the foundational stage and children aged three will be brought into the formal schooling system as proposed in the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP).
Besides the curriculum for early childhood care and education (ECCE), the first of the four NCFs in the making, Pradhan also launched Balvatikas (pre-primary classes) at Kendriya Vidyalayas.
ECCE under the anganwadi system, till now, primarily focused on nutrition and health of a child while in the private space, the play school system was unregulated.
The most important aspect of the NEP has been the development of the national curriculum for school education because it is futuristic, Pradhan said.
“Preparing the curriculum for the age group of three to eight has been the most critical as well as challenging because experts and scientists have proved that 85 per cent of brain development happens by the age of seven or eight. Therefore, designing the curriculum for foundational stage is the most important aspect of the NCF,” he said.
“I am optimistic that the NCERT by next Basant Panchami will bring out the syllabus and textbooks and other necessary methodologies. I am also hopeful that the NCERT will share these with SCERTs on priority so that experts from states can be consulted, and start designing the syllabus and develop textbooks based on these recommendations,” Pradhan said.
While NCERT is the National Council of Educational Research and Training, SCERTs are state councils for education research and training.
The NCF-2022 has four sections — the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, the National Curriculum Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education, the National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education and the National Curriculum Framework for Adult Education. (PTI)
