Nagaland proposes revisiting Morung system, infusing indigenous knowledge

July 14, 2022 82 Views No Comment

SCERT develops Draft State Curriculum Framework

Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 14

The Nagaland State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has prepared a Draft State Curriculum Framework keeping in view the difficulties faced in the present system of education and looking at the challenges ahead, SCERT Director, N Chumchanbeni Kikon said on Wednesday.

In the proposed framework, efforts have also been made to integrate and infuse traditional and cultural practices, values along with attempts to re-visit the Naga Morung, she said.

In addition, the indigenous ways of learning in the form of folklore, songs, poetry, indigenous games and toys, cultural values, traditional art and music as well as indigenous skills of dealing with emotions for school counsellors have been incorporated, she added.

Speaking at the ‘State Level Seminar on Development of Nagaland State Curriculum Framework,’ at the Capital Convention Centre, Kohima, Kikon said that the work for developing the framework was guided by the visions and principles of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to integrate and infuse traditional knowledge, cultural values and indigenous education in all the subject areas.

Explaining further, Kikon said that the NEP 2020 had recommended that the National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) develop the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) in the context of the NEP 2020 in four areas- School Education, Early Childhood Care & Education, Teacher Education and Adult Education.

The NCERT and Ministry of Education adopted a strategy to frame the NCF by incorporating and integrating the local and indigenous flavours from across the country through wider consultations. As a result, SCERTs have been directed to set up 25 State Focus Groups to work on the 25 curricular areas identified for Focus Group Position Papers, she said.

Toward this end, Kikon said that the Nagaland State Focus Groups for 25 subject areas worked tirelessly to bring out a Draft State Curriculum Framework and the draft Position Papers have suggested many changes in the content areas and approaches as envisaged in the NEP 2020.

These include redesigning all curriculum and pedagogy to be strongly rooted in the Indian and local context, customs, language, philosophy, geography, ancient and contemporary knowledge, societal and scientific needs, etc, she said.

‘Need to recalibrate, restructure education system’
Additionally, Commissioner & Secretary for School Education & SCERT, Kevileno Angami stressed on the need to recalibrate and restructure the education system as envisaged in NEP 2020.

She told the seminar 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.

Stating that the education system is at the threshold of change, transiting from the old to the new with NEP 2020, Angami informed that under the new education 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.

For holistic learning, the Commissioner & Secretary said that core subjects will have to be integrated with arts, sports, and life skills.

As highlighted in NEP 2020, she said, the flexibility of choices has been captured in the state curriculum framework. 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, she added.

She also opined that there is a need to provide a curriculum to the students that they will study and adapt to the changing times.

Significant role in socio-economic development
“The new education system will strengthen and improve the quality of living of citizens of the country towards brighter future,” Nagaland’s Chief Secretary, J Alam said at the seminar which was organised by the NCERT.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is going to play a significant role in the socio-economic development of the country, he said, while underlining that the new policy is the first education policy of the 21st century which aims to address the many growing developmental imperatives of the country.

“This policy envisions an education system rooted in Indian ethos that contribute to transforming India into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society by providing high quality education to all and thereby making India into a global knowledge super power,” he said, adding that this policy envisages that the curriculum and pedagogy of the nation’s institutions must help students develop a deep sense of respect towards the fundamental duties and constitutional values and a conscious awareness of one’s roles and responsibilities in a changing world.

The Chief Secretary also said that the NEP 2020 also lays particular emphasis on the revision and revamping of all aspects of the educational structure with India’s tradition and value system and development of creative potential of each individual in all its richness and complexities.

Alam said that the NEP aims for holistic development of a child in all capacities- intellectual, social, physical, ethical and emotional.

A strong focus on early childhood care and education is critical in promoting multilingualism and the power of language in the classroom. There should be no separation between arts and science streams, academic and vocational streams or between curricular or co- curricular activities, he said.