Alternative Academic Calendar for classes 6 to 8

Part of: GS-II- Education (PT-MAINS-PERSONALITY TEST)

Human Resource Development Minister released the Alternative Academic Calendar for the upper primary stage, Classes 6 to 8 in New Delhi. The alternative academic calendars at the primary and upper primary stages have been developed by the NCERT under the guidance of the MHRD to engage students meaningfully during their stay at home due to COVID-19.

Imp Points

1. This Calendar provides guidelines to teachers on the use of various technological tools and social media tools available for imparting education in fun-filled, interesting ways.
2. Very soon all the remaining classes 9 to 12 and subject areas will be covered under this calendar.
3. This Calendar will empower the students, teachers and parents to find out positive ways to deal with COVID-19 using online teaching-learning resources.
4. The calendar contains a week-wise plan consisting of interesting and challenging activities, with reference to themes and chapters taken from the textbook.
5. Most importantly, it maps the themes with the learning outcomes.
6. The purpose of mapping is to facilitate teachers and parents to assess the progress in the learning of children and also to go beyond textbooks.
7. It also covers experiential learning activities such as Arts education, physical exercises and yoga.
8. This Calendar contains class-wise and subject-wise activities in tabular forms.
9. It includes activities related to four languages - Hindi English, Urdu and Sanskrit.
10. This calendar also gives space to the strategies of reducing stress and anxiety among teachers, students and parents.

About NCERT

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India which was established in 1961 as a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies Registration Act (Act XXI of 1860). Its headquarters are located at New Delhi. Dr. Hrushikesh Senapaty is the director of the council since September 2015.

The Government of India's Ministry of Education resolved on 27 July 1961 to establish the National Council of Educational Research and Training, which formally began operation on 1 September 1961. The Council was formed by merging seven existing national government institutions, namely the Central Institute of Education, the Central Bureau of Textbook Research, the Central Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance, the Directorate of Extension Programmes for Secondary Education, the National Institute of Basic Education, the National Fundamental Education Centre, and the National Institute of Audio-Visual Education. It is separate from the National Council for Teacher Education.

The NCERT was established with the agenda to design and support a common system of education which is national in character and also enables and encourages diverse culture across the country. Based on the recommendations of the Education Commission(1964-66), the first national policy statement on education was issued in 1968. The policy endorsed the adoption of a uniform pattern of school education across the country consisting of 10 years of general education program followed by 2 years of diversified schooling.

The Curriculum for the Ten-year school

This framework came in 1975. It emphasised that a curriculum based on the principles laid out in the framework has to be developed on the basis of research. Thus for NCERT, the 1970s was a decade flushed with curriculum research and development activities to relate the content and process of education to Indian realities.

National Curriculum for Elementary and Secondary Education

This revised curriculum framework came in 1988 after the National Policy on Education (1986).It encompassed 12 years of school education and suggested a reorientation of curricular and instructional materials to make them more child-centred. It advocated bringing out examination reforms and the implementation of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation at all stages of education.

National Curriculum Framework for School Education

This framework came in 2000. It stressed the need for a healthy, enjoyable and stress-free childhood and reduction of the curricular load. Thus an integrated and thematic approach was suggested, environmental education was emphasized upon and language and mathematics got integrated in the first two years of schooling.

National Curriculum Framework: The council came up with a new National Curriculum Framework in 2005, drafted by a National Steering Committee. This exercise was based on 5 guiding principles:

1. Connecting knowledge to life outside school
2. Shift from the rote method of learning
3. Enriching the curriculum for overall development of children so that it goes beyond textbooks
4. Making examinations flexible and integrating them with classroom life and
5. Nurturing an identity informed by caring concerns.

Objectives

The council's objectives are:

• To promote and conduct educational research, experimentation of innovative ideas and practice.

• To develop National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2005), syllabi, and textbooks; teaching-learning materials and kits; training models and strategies; audio, video, and ICT materials.
• Training of Pre-service and in-service teacher education and national and state level functionaries.
• To collaborate with State, national and international organizations.