The National Curriculum Framework is all-out for the joy of learning favouring an interactive curriculum at various levels. It is a roadmap for teaching 3 to 8-year-olds
When someone is taught the joy of learning, it becomes a life-long process.This in a nutshell is what the 360 page NCF 2022 document for foundational age groups extols, giving credence to the development of an interactive curriculum at various levels using story-telling techniques and real-life experiences.
According to NCF for the foundational stage, high-quality early childhood care and education is the best investment that any country can make for itsfuture. The National Education Policy 2020 with the 5+3+3+4 curricular structure integrates Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for all children of ages 3 to 8 laying the foundation for lifelong learning and development.
Lakhs of children get into Grade 1 with limited exposure to ECCE in the age group of 6+ losing out on a crucial development process as research from neuroscience suggests that 85% of an individual’s brain development occurs by the age of 6. The number of preschools has risen but the intent and means to invest in quality ECCE are much to be desired. Pradeep Das, a parent succinctly sums up the present state, “The private preschool space is largely unregulated. One can find the ‘good, bad and worst’ schools. In isolated pockets, some schools encapsulate all that NCF suggests – be it pedagogy, standards, safety, holistic way of learning, and interactive learning. Then there are schools that one can say are just safe places for a few hours and there are ones with gaudy coloured painted animals and birds on the walls that claim to be preschools but no methodology and standards followed.” According to the NCF document, access and enrolment in primary schools have increased dramatically, but enrolment in ECCE programmes still remains low.
Play – At the core of learning
Play-based learning is to be the fulcrum. All activities of ECCE at every level, be it in the physical play, interaction, conversation, question and answer sessions, storytelling, read-aloud and shared reading, riddles, rhymes, or other enjoyable activities involving games, toys, visual art, and music.
The Play-based Learning Continuum highlights different levels of teacher involvement in play that can support children’s learning in a children- centred and playful environment. The Continuum includes both child-led and Teacher-led activities. Children should get balanced opportunities for play each year throughout the Foundational Stage including Grades 1 and 2.
First Eight Years
A head start will guarantee life-long success and the first eight years of a child’s life are critical for physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development. The NEP goal is: Every child in the age range of 3 to 8 years must have access to free, safe, high-quality, developmentally appropriate ECCE by the year 2025. The NCF document states children under the age of 8 tend not to follow linear, age-based educational trajectories. It is only about the age of eight that children begin to adapt to more structural learning.
The NCF document suggests that in the first three years of the foundational stage, that is 3 to 6 years, there should not be any prescribed textbooks but simple worksheets are more than sufficient to meet the curricular goals. It further recommends that the mother tongue should be the primary medium of instruction for children till eight years of age, in both public and private schools. English could be one of the second language options. It does not mention any time frame for introducing the language.
The NCF 2022 calls for board games and stories from the Panchatantra to teach children in the age group of 6-8 years. The focus is on Indian fables and stories.
Panchakosha Punch
The NCF document focuses on the cognitive development and socio-economic stimulation in the early years of a child through the ancientexplication “panchakosha”. It is a non-dichotomous approach to human development which paves the way for holistic education.
The Panchakosha description in the Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the earliest articulations of the different domains of development of the human being. These descriptions remain relevant along with the more modern understanding that has emerged through Developmental Biology, Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences.
Panchakosha includes physical development (sharirik vikas), development of life energy (pranik vikas), emotional and mental development (manasik vikas), intellectual development (bauddhik vikas), and spiritual
development (chatsik vikas).
Importance of Literacy and Numeracy
NCF document states that ECCE during these years also entails the development of early literacy and numeracy, including learning about the alphabet, languages, numbers, counting, colours, shapes, drawing/ painting, indoor and outdoor play, puzzles and logical thinking, art, craft, music, and movement. The aim is to build on the developmental outcomes in the domains mentioned above, combined with a focus on early literacy, numeracy, and awareness of one’s environment. This becomes particularlyimportant during the age range of 6-8, forming the basis for the achievement of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN). The importance of FLN to overall education is well-understood and fully emphasized in NEP 2020.
Role of parents
Prior to 3 years aspects of ECCE are entirely outside the institutionalframework and the role of parents is paramount. After the age of 3, thesecomponents of nutrition, health, care, safety, and stimulation must continue at home, and must also be ensured in an appropriate andcomplementary manner in institutional settings such as anganwadis and preschools.
The importance of the home environment cannot be overemphasized -including family, extended family, neighbours, and others in the close community – all of whom have a very significant impact on the child, particularly in this age range. Hence, this NCF will deal with the role of parents and communities in enabling and enhancing the developmental outcomes that are sought during this stage; it will not, however, deal in
detail with aspects of ECCE for ages prior to 3 years.
Recent Initiatives on NEP Priorities
Vidya Pravesh has been developed by NCERT for students entering Grade 1 It will be transacted over three months, with four hours a day devoted to familiarizing children with the school environment and providing experiences for maintaining well-being. Vidya Pravesh will also enable the learning of ethical values and cultural diversity, and interaction with the physical, social, and natural environment. In addition to these aspects, Vidya Pravesh will be designed to build the foundations of mathematics, language, and literacy, in alignment with the learning outcomes of NIPUN Bharat.
Balvatika NEP 2020 states that ‘prior to the age of 5 every child will move to a “Preparatory Class” or “Balvatika” (that is before Class 1) which has an ECCE-qualified teacher’ (NEP 2020 Para 1.6). The Balvatika programme is envisaged as a one-year programme before Grade 1 which is meant to prepare children with cognitive and linguistic competencies that are prerequisites for learning to read, write, and develop number sense through a play-based approach. NCERT has developed guidelines and processes for three years of preschool including the Balvatika. Teacher training would be the key to NCF implementation. Teachers are the primary stakeholders and they need to be sensitised and trained on using their mother tongue as suggested by NCG aver experts. Dr Arunab Singh, Director, Nehru World School says, “The question that we should be asking is when will we start to recognise teacher training for elementary education? “There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the NCF is path-breaking but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. An earnest effort to implement will only make the NCF meaningful and we are excited that will happen,” says Sindhu Madhavan, a teacher.
