The beauty of a liberal education lies in its breadth. It allows students to explore various disciplines before making informed choices.
Dec 4, 2024 05:00 IST First published on: Dec 4, 2024 at 05:00 IST
Of the many proposals pitched by the National Education Plan (NEP) 2020, a crucial one was the sweeping overhaul of the school curriculum to ensure that “experiential learning and critical thinking” take precedence over rote learning. To this end, it proposed a paring down of the syllabi to ensure better understanding and a move towards improving the quality of engagement between teachers and students. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has since taken into account several of its suggestions in the framing of academic curricula and methods of evaluation. The study of Mathematics, for instance, was made two-pronged for students of Class X from 2019-20, allowing them to opt for the standard or basic module, depending on their inclination and proficiency. According to a report in this newspaper, the CBSE is now working on a similar proposal for Science and Social Science. Once approved by the Board’s governing body, students in Classes IX and X can opt for standard or advanced modules in these two subjects from the academic year 2026-27.
At a fundamental level, this proposal is hinged on the idea of catering to diverse learning needs. For students who might be less proficient in a subject, the choice allows them the leeway to focus on alternatives. Both Mathematics basic and standard, for instance, have the same syllabus. But the standard level assesses “higher mathematical abilities compared to basic level”. Standard Mathematics is also mandatory if the student wants to pursue it in Classes XI and XII. However, while the framework of the current proposal is yet to be finalised, eventually the choice runs the risk of becoming counterproductive — it forces students to make a critical selection at a time when they might not be fully cognisant of its repercussions or when they are still discovering their own skill sets and interests. This would only serve to exacerbate existing disparities — students from privileged backgrounds, with access to quality resources and coaching, would be more likely to opt for the advanced level, further widening the gap between them and their less fortunate peers at each successive level. This would undermine not just the principles of equity and inclusivity that the NEP proposes, but also provide succour to the coaching industry it aims to dismantle.
The beauty of a liberal education lies in its breadth. It allows students to explore various disciplines before making informed choices. Before its plan is formalised, the CBSE must ensure that new faultlines are not gouged through the creation of a fresh hierarchy among students in what is already an immensely competitive domain.
