Kohima: Nagaland chief secretary J Alam on Wednesday stressed the need to fix the underlying problems in the state’s education system, while interacting with educators, scholars and government officials during the state-level seminar on the development of the Nagaland State Curriculum Framework at the Capital Convention Centre in Kohima.
Recalling the poor result of students conducted by the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) this year, Alam hoped that a curriculum is worked out to tackle the existing problems, and as per the National Education Policy 2020.
With NEP 2020, he said there will be a paradigm shift in the education system as the policy has been framed after 34 years following exhaustive consultations and deliberations.
The NEP, he said, will play a significant role in the socio-economic development of the country and the new education system will only strengthen and improve the quality of living of citizens of the country towards a brighter future.
He informed that following the announcement of NEP 2020, moves have been made into high gear to translate the policy into action, and the state is working hard to achieve targets before the deadline.
According to him, some challenges that the education system needs to respond to at present, are how to design new ways of imparting knowledge to students, making education accessible to students, particularly in the disadvantaged section of society, and ensure a productive learning outcome for students.
Advocating for the need to hold more consultations and seminars, the chief Secretary hoped that through such platforms, a common ground will be arrived at to plan the state curriculum framework which will ensure that the right knowledge is imparted to students to prepare for their future.
Commissioner & Secretary of School Education & SCERT, Kevileno Angami informed that it has received 25 thematic reports from experts towards framing a curriculum on which the SCERT will be developing textbooks for students.
She said that education is at the threshold of change, transiting from the old to the new with NEP, 2020. The 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, under the NEP will recalibrate and restructure the education system, Angami added.
She went on to highlight NEP 2020 and said that the flexibility of choices has to be 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.
Angami also stressed the need to have a holistic approach to education and the need to impart knowledge about one’s culture, state, country, the Constitution and so on, to build responsible citizens.
Further, she also suggested the need for a curriculum that adapts to the changing times.
Director, SCERT, NC Kikon in her keynote address informed that SCERTs in the country has 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.
Accordingly, the Nagaland state focus group for 25 subject areas were worked out to bring 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 said that the draft was prepared considering the difficulties faced in the present system of education and 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.
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