Rigour, rationale, please, not a revisionist agenda

After the furore over the revised textbooks, with writer after writer withdrawing consent to use their work in them, and seers, academicians, intellectuals and opinion-makers questioning the credentials and credibility of the revision committee head, the Basavaraj Bommai government is trying a damage-control exercise by saying it is open to re-revising the textbooks.

The textbook revision committee, headed by Rohit Chakrathirtha, was formed by the BJP government in 2019 to review primary and secondary school textbooks. Stated or unstated, the committee’s purpose was to address “Hindu sentiments” that had ostensibly been hurt in the existing Social Science, Kannada and Environmental Studies textbooks of primary and secondary school curriculum.

The school is a place where the character-building of a child takes place and universal qualities like respect, love, integrity, compassion, empathy, civic sense, democratic values, respect for other beings irrespective of religion, class, caste, creed or colour should be inculcated. Curriculum revision is an important process to prepare young minds for the future. This challenging, sometimes controversial, task can be achieved if there is clarity among policymakers about the outcomes to be achieved, keeping in mind cultural and societal needs.

In expectation of a re-revision committee being formed, we should hope that it will take cognisance of the following points:

India is a signatory to UNESCO’s Education 2030 Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action, which has clear guidelines for curriculum content and standards. Hopefully, the revisions will be in accordance with the General Education System Quality Analysis/Diagnosis Framework (GEQAF) as laid down in this declaration. When we are said to be preparing our students to be competent globally, it would only be wise to review and follow global standards.

The content and pedagogic knowledge for teaching and curriculum framework for primary and secondary education is given by the National Council for Social Studies, founded in 1921, which is the largest professional association in the world, based in Washington, devoted solely to social studies education which integrates social studies with other disciplines like history, political science, law, anthropology, economics, psychology and civics. This has been widely and successfully used as a framework across the United States, Europe and some Asian countries as a tool for curriculum alignment and development.

The standards incorporate current research and suggestions for improvement from many experienced practitioners; this also includes weightage to be given to enhance students’ knowledge in social sciences and enhance their critical thinking, participatory skills, besides preparing them to be engaged citizens owing allegiance to democracy and constitutional values. Hopefully, the revision committee will follow such or similar guidelines while revising the textbooks.

Experts across the globe are also rooting for competence-based (cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal) curriculum where the emphasis is more on a curriculum that emphasizes what learners are expected to do rather than mainly focusing on what they are expected to know. In principle, such a curriculum is learner-centred and adaptive to the changing needs of students, teachers, and society. Also, there is growing demand for curriculum equivalence across boards and countries.

The pandemic has already played havoc with the learning milestones of children from Class 1 to 10. Many surveys indicate the learning loss and gaps in skills, which has set the entire system back with regard to the timeline to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals for Education (SDG 4) by 2030 as intended in the Incheon declaration. We cannot afford to lose time on such wasteful exercises now! There is less than a decade to fulfill the vision of inclusive, equitable, quality education and lifelong learning for all.

Also, while until the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution in 1976, education remained on the State List, subsequent to the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee in 1976, it is now in the Concurrent List. This has paved the way for centralised policymaking in the field of education, with NEP being forced down the throat of every state, which some consider as a challenge to the federal structure of the country. While that is an issue for a different debate and discussion, there is a scope for localisation and promotion of regional culture and language in the NEP. The opportunity to popularise Kannada language is being squandered by the Karnataka government. Over the years, there has been an exodus of students with Kannada as mother tongue to other easy-scoring languages like Sanskrit, Hindi and even foreign languages like French and German. Instead of trying to popularise Kannada by making it simpler and easily learnable, the government has mis-prioritised by pushing an unnecessary agenda.

This entire episode of textbook revision has given rise to many pertinent questions which the policymakers must ponder over to avert such issues in the future. How can textbook/syllabi changes be done in such an ad hoc manner to please a particular section of society and push a particular agenda? How can textbooks worth crores be printed without training teachers on the changed syllabi? Should such training be not done well before the academic season begins? Should not the textbooks be available with students at the beginning of the academic year? Should not the interests of young learners who are our tomorrow be of paramount importance?

Be the politics of it as it may, textbook revision in school education is too important and complex a task. Scientifically designed curricula can go a long way in realising individual and societal goals, leading to overall human achievement. We cannot change the hue and colour of our syllabi with every change in the narrative of political shenanigans. There must be a rationale, a rigour in the method used, and the involvement of all stakeholders.

(The writers are Professors, Jain (Deemed to be) University. Views are personal)