MANGALURU: With a view to boost creative, critical and analytical thinking among students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) would introduce major changes in the pattern of question papers for class 10 and 12 by 2023, a top board official said at an ASSOCHAM event in New Delhi.
“While this year with students of class 10 will get 20 per cent objective questions and 10 per cent questions would be based on creative thinking, by 2023 question papers for classes 10 and 12 will be based on creative, innovative and critical thinking and students will have to prepare in that manner, it is the need of the hour keeping in mind country's future,” said Anurag Tripathi, secretary, CBSE at an ASSOCHAM School Education Summit.
Vocational subjects do not find many takers in India due to factors like lack of employability, poor value and absence of stability in the market, Tripathi said adding there is a need to promote proper linkages and bonding among key stakeholders in the schooling system, that is, infrastructure, teachers, parents and students.
He suggested that schools must devote more time to teachers who need to be trained rigorously and be groomed for three to six months to become mentors, highly motivated communicator, expressive, have critical thinking and emotional balance.
Talking about the new education policy, he said that it aims at bridging the gap between vocational and main subjects. “The new policy has recommended that vocational subjects need to be a part of the five subjects, it would be a good move.”
He further said that the new education policy also focuses on different aspects like early childhood care, teacher training, promoting vocational education and thus, it would be a challenge to implement the same.
Earlier, in his address at the ASSOCHAM summit, Director (Training and Skill Education) CBSE, Biswajit Saha had said that schools in India need to focus on students’ capability and not employability, implement adaptive and project-based learning and follow children-centric methodology in the classroom.
“The flexibility in the system should be adapted in the curriculum transaction process to keep students' mind-set and what they need in mind. With respect to the common curriculum, whatever subjects are being offered, the room is very much there to introduce activity-based curriculum,” he said.
Dr Saha added, “If we want to really upgrade the system, then competency-based education needs to be implemented in the school systems which requires strong connect with the child.”
He suggested that schools must give free semesters to students between class I to VIII and should not block them within curriculum boundaries. “It would lead to more outcomes; career orientations will rightly groom up by putting the students with concept of free semesters. If you are ready to experiment with the lower class, may be with class III or IV, with no curriculum load, I think over a period of time they will look into different dynamics of life and national education policy would be highlighting that agenda differently.”
He also clarified that CBSE is not touching primary education and complete autonomy is given to government and private schools be it with regards to syllabus or textual material. “CBSE only comes into the picture only for class 10th and 12th examinations, there we strictly prescribe the syllabus for the examination but not the methodology.”
Prashant Bhalla, chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council for Education said that a paradigm shift is required to ensure that learning is made fun and interactive at the school level.
“Integration of vocational skills is imperative for school students to learn life skills and soft skills that will help them in the long run,” said Dr Bhalla focusing on holistic growth of country’s youth.
Founder director, IIM Kozhikode and chairman, ASSOCHAM Skill Committee Vinayshil Gautam said that quality of schools in India plays and important role in skill formation and job creation for the next generation.
“New education policy will lead to structural and curriculum changes, addressing the challenges posed by the 4th industrial revolution,” said G D Sharma, secretary (retired), UGC.
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