Chief Secretary, J Alam, IAS stated that the National Education Policy, 2020 is a paradigm shift in the education system. Speaking at the inaugural session of the state-level seminar on the development of Nagaland State Curriculum Framework at Capital Convention Centre, Kohima on 13th July 2022, he said that the previous education policy was framed in 1986 and the program of action to implement the policy came in 1992. He said that the National Education Policy, 2020 was finalized after exhaustive consultations and deliberations from grass root to the experts.
Alam said that right after the announcement of the new education policy, everyone associated with education, from the central to state governments and agencies involved, have gone into high gear. He added that there have been a series of consultations to translate the policy into action.
The Chief Secretary stated that a key challenge, particularly in school education, is how to transact knowledge between the teacher and the student. He hoped that the curriculum framework is being designed in such a way that the learning outcomes improve. He said the approach in NEP 2020 is a bottom-up approach where subject experts contribute based on which a state curriculum framework will be designed, which will then be used for the national curriculum framework and the national curriculum framework will be developed by the Government of India. He said a big challenge is getting access to education, particularly in the disadvantaged section of society and he highlighted the need for more effort for the left out.
Commissioner & Secretary, School Education & SCERT, Kevileno Angami stated that the inputs given by the people involved in the curriculum framework are critical as they will form the basis on which the SCERT will be developing the textbooks for the students to be studying in schools. She said that education is at the threshold of change, transiting from the old to the new with NEP, 2020. Angami said that under the new policy, it will be a 5+3+3+4 system, where 5 years will be the foundational stage, 3 years in the preparatory stage, 3 years in the middle stage, and 4 years in the secondary stage. She underlined the need to recalibrate and restructure the education system as envisaged in NEP, 2020.
Highlighting holistic learning, Angami stated that core subjects will have to be integrated with arts, sports, and life skills. As highlighted in NEP, 2020, she said that the flexibility of choices has been captured in the state curriculum framework. She added that flexibility has to be provided to the students so that they can make life choices, and study plans while still in school, however, some subjects such as life skills, mathematics, and science will continue to be mandatory. Stressing the need for change with the changing times, she said there is a need to provide a curriculum to the students that they will study and adapt to the changing times.
Speaking on the occasion, Director, SCERT, NC Kikon in her keynote address stated that National Education Policy, 2020 is to develop citizens capable of rational thought & action, possessing compassion & empathy, courage & resilience, scientific temper & creative imagination with sound ethical morals and values. The policy aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable inclusive, and plural society, she added. Kikon also said that the policy envisions an education system that contributes directly to transforming India into an equitable and vibrant society, thereby making India a global knowledge superpower.
Kikon informed that SCERTs in the country have been entrusted as the state nodal agency for the development of state curriculum framework and have been directed to set up 25 state focus groups to work on 25 identified curricular areas. She stated that the Nagaland state focus group for 25 subject areas worked to bring out a draft curriculum framework guided by the visions and principles of the NEP, 2020 to integrate and infuse traditional knowledge, cultural values, and indigenous education in all the subject areas of the state curriculum framework. She added the draft was prepared considering the difficulties faced in the present system of education and looking at the challenges ahead.
During the seminar, sessions on curriculum framework for school education, teacher education, adult education; issues & challenges, and future courses of action were taken up.
(Wepre Kronu, APRO)
