New Delhi: The new draft of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has recommended that there should not be any written exams up to Class 2, and exams should be allowed only from Class 3 onwards.
Another recommendation is that a system be put in place to allow students from Class 9 to 12 to appear for exams when they desire to. The NCF has recommended annual exams for Classes 9 and 10 and the semester system for Classes 11 and 12. The students should write the exam when they are convinced that they are prepared to do so. The report says that for this, a comprehensive software system and test item bank should be put in place.
From the nursery level to Class 2, the standard of students in the study must be understood and gauged. The teachers themselves can set the criteria for assessing the standard of students in this phase. It should be recorded. However, care must be taken to ensure that such assessments should not put an unnecessary load on the students. It is also suggested that exams can be conducted from Class 3 to 5.
The National Education Policy, implemented in 2020, recommended the school education structure of 5+3+3+4. The textbooks will be in force from the academic year 2024-25.
Draft aims to help students overcome Maths fear
Modules on the trade routes along the Indian Ocean, stories of soldiers who attained martyrdom, and the literary worlds of Greece and Syria, etc will soon enter the textbooks. The suggestions to include these new topics in the textbooks have been made in the draft of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).
The draft also recommends finding ways to overcome the Maths phobia among students and facilitate the studies in the mother tongue itself.
Learning Languages: At least three languages should be taught at the school level. The states, zones, or even the students may decide on the languages to be learned. Two out of these languages should be of Indian origin. Those opting for a change in their medium of study can do so in grades 6 or 7.
Learning Maths: Art and games can be integrated into the subject of mathematics. Attempts should be made to change the conventional notion that girls lag behind boys in learning the subject.
Learning history: A comprehensive study of the World and Indian History is required. Students also need to learn about the freedom fighters who eventually fell into oblivion. The subject should also include the centuries-old contributions by India in the field of literature and interventions by the countries such as Greece and Syria, etc.