Sudha Murthy, Shankar Mahadevan on govt’s new panel to develop NCERT syllabus

This 19-member committee, named the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), will be led by MC Pant, the Chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA). Notable figures including Sudha Murthy, author and Infosys Foundation chair, singer Shankar Mahadevan, and economist Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, are part of this endeavour according to an internal note of NCERT as reported by HT.

The primary goal of this committee is to align the curriculum with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE). Developed under the guidance of the K Kasturirangan-led steering committee as a part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 implementation. Although the final NCF-SE version has already been submitted to the Union Ministry of Education, its public release is still pending. The draft was unveiled in April.

NSTC’s responsibilities encompass the development of school syllabi, as well as teaching and learning materials for classes 3 to 12. This committee will also undertake the task of appropriately revising existing textbooks for classes 1 and 2, ensuring a smooth transition to NCF-SE guidelines, according to the note. “The textbooks and other learning material developed and finalised by NSTC shall be published and distributed by the NCERT,” the note stated, reported HT.

The composition of this committee reflects a diverse range of expertise. Manjul Bhargav, a mathematics professor at Princeton University, co-chairs the committee. Other members include Sujatha Ramdorai, a distinguished mathematician, U Vimal Kumar, a badminton player, MD Srinivas, chairperson of the Centre for Policy Studies, and Chamu Krishna Shastry, chairperson of Bhartiya Bhasha Samiti.

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To facilitate a thorough approach, Curriculum Area Groups (CAGs) will be established. These groups, comprising subject experts, will assist NSTC in shaping textbooks and learning materials for the various subjects covered in the syllabus. 11 CAGs will be constituted to work on the 11 domains mentioned in NCF-SE including mathematics, science, physical education, and social sciences said Chamu Krishna Shastry. “More than 1,000 subject experts will be engaged in the process of curriculum development and textbook designing,” Shastry said as reported by HT.

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The committee aspires to conclude its activities by the end of the current academic year, ensuring that the new textbooks are ready well in advance of the next session. Supporting NSTC’s initiatives is a National Oversight Committee (NOC), helmed by Jagbir Singh, the chancellor of the Central University of Punjab. “NOC will provide detailed orientation to the members of NSCT and others including CAGs. It will ensure full alignment of textbooks, syllabus and teaching learning material to NCF-SE,” a senior NCERT official said.

Updated: 12 Aug 2023, 11:56 AM IST