National Curriculum Framework

29 Aug 2023

Context:

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has recently unveiled the ultimate version of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).

This release has noteworthy changes in the education system, aligning with the principles outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Highlights of the National Curriculum Framework:

Language Learning: Students in 9th and 10th grade should learn three languages (minimum 2 Indian languages). This means they study languages like English, Hindi, or their regional language.
- When they get to 11th and 12th grade, they only study two languages (minimum 1 Indian language).
Board exams: Students can take board exams two times in a year and only the highest score counts.
News Books: The NCF follows the rules of NEP 2020. It helps make new school books for Grades 3 to 12 in CBSE schools. These books match what we need in the 21st century.
Mandatory Subjects: Earlier, students in Classes 9 to 12 studied five mandatory subjects with an option to add one more. Now, the number of mandatory subjects for Classes 9 and 10 is seven, and for Classes 11 and 12 is six.
Flexibility to choose your subject: The NCF has divided subjects into groups
- Further, it recommends that for grade 12, the boards should not restrict students from choosing subjects within streams (such as science or commerce), and instead allow flexibility to choose from different groups.
Content Distribution for Social Science Curriculum (Classes 6-8):
- 20% content from local level.
- 30% from regional level.
- 30% from national level.
- 20% content from global level.