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.

News Source: The Hindu