2. School Stages Logic and Design

The previous chapter articulated the Aims of School Education for this NCF, and the corresponding set of desirable Values, Dispositions, Capacities, and Knowledge required to achieve these aims. The chapter also touched upon the curricular arrangements required to achieve these Aims, including the different Curricular Areas that are part of this NCF.

NEP 2020 recommends that schooling will now be imagined in four Stages in a new 5+3+3+4 design covering ages 3-18, which is based on the Stages of physical, cognitive, and socio- emotional-ethical development of children/students. The Policy states:

The curricular and pedagogical structure and the curriculum framework for school education will therefore be guided by a 5+3+3+4 design, consisting of the Foundational Stage (in two parts, that is, 3 years of Anganwadi/pre-school + 2 years in primary school in Grades 1-2; both together covering ages 3-8), Preparatory Stage (Grades 3-5, covering ages 8-11), Middle Stage (Grades 6-8, covering ages 11-14), and Secondary Stage (Grades 9-12 in two phases, i.e., 9 and 10 in the first and 11 and 12 in the second, covering ages 14-18).

[NEP 2020, 4.1]

Thus, the aims of education are to be achieved in a 5+3+3+4 structure in schools, covering ages 3-18. This chapter outlines the logic of these four Stages of schooling, the specific considerations for curricular structure, content, pedagogy, and assessments for each of these Stages, and their relevance for achieving the Aims of School Education.

The central logic of dividing schooling into the four Stages is based on our current understanding of child (human) development and the increasing complexity of concepts and requirements of capacities in different curricular areas. The first two sections of this chapter describe the process and Stages of child development and development of complexity in concepts and requirements of capacities in the different Curricular Areas. The last section elaborates on the four-stage design of this NCF.

Section 2.1 - Child Development

Around the world, the experiences of children growing up are different, depending on various circumstances — social, cultural, and economic. But there are some common processes and Stages in the maturation and growth of the child. It is critically important to understand the development of a child to have appropriate educational expectations at a particular age. Understanding the trajectory of child development helps in developing a quality curriculum with developmentally-appropriate pedagogy and assessment.

Child development is influenced by the interplay of three different processes, namely, biological processes, cognitive processes, and socio-emotional processes. These processes are intricately interwoven with each other. Each of these processes plays a role in the physical, cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional, and moral development of a child.

A child’s development is usually described in terms of periods corresponding to approximate age ranges.

a.Infancy: This period ranges from birth to 3 years. A child in this period is highly dependent on adults. Children are beginning to learn about the things around them and to focus their vision and explore.

b.Early childhood: This period begins around age 3 and usually extends up to 6-7 years of age. Children begin to become more self-sufficient and spend more time with peers. This is also a period of intense exploration through play.

c.Middle to late childhood: This developmental period is roughly from 8 years to 11-12 years of age before they hit puberty. During this period, children master the fundamental capacities and understanding for survival and growth. They grow physically, emotionally, and cognitively through exposure to the wider world around them and their culture.

d.Adolescence: This period is the transition period from childhood to early adulthood. A child enters adolescence at approximately the age of 12. Adolescence begins with rapid physical changes — gains in height and weight, changes in body contour, and development of secondary sex characteristics. At this Stage, the development of identity and the quest for independence is the central theme in children.

2.1.1 Development across Domains

2.1.1.1 Physical Development

Height and weight increase rapidly during infancy. By their first birthday, infants nearly triple their weight. As the child reaches early childhood, the percentage growth of height and weight decreases with each additional year. Growth patterns vary individually, while some variation is due to hereditary factors, certain environmental factors have significant influence as well, such as nutrition and stress. Middle and late childhood is the calm before the rapid growth spurt in adolescence. It involves slow and consistent growth in height and weight. There is improved muscle tone, and the strength capacity also doubles during these years. Adolescents experience a growth surge during puberty. Puberty occurs approximately two years earlier for girls than boys. The features and proportions of the body change as the individual becomes capable of reproduction. Among the most important factors that influence the onset and sequence of puberty are heredity, hormones, weight, and body fat.

Sensory and motor development: Infants and children begin rolling, sitting, standing, and develop other motor skills in a particular sequence and within specific time frames. Infants are also born with certain reflexes, which are built-in reactions to stimuli. Reflexes govern the newborn’s movements, which are automatic and beyond their control. Reflexes are genetically carried survival mechanisms. They allow infants to respond adaptively to their environment before they have had an opportunity to learn. They include sucking, rooting, and moro reflexes (when the baby gets startled by an unexpected sound, light, or movement), all of which typically disappear after three to four months. Some reflexes, such as blinking and yawning, persist throughout life. Components of other reflexes are incorporated into voluntary actions.

Gross motor skills involve large-muscle activities. Key skills developed during infancy include control of posture and walking. Mastering a motor skill requires the infant’s active efforts to coordinate several components of the skill. Infants explore and select possible solutions to the demands of a new task; they assemble adaptive patterns by modifying their current movement patterns. Gross motor skills improve dramatically during the childhood years. Boys usually outperform girls in gross motor skills involving large-muscle activity.

Fine motor skills involve finely tuned movements. The onset of reaching and grasping is a significant accomplishment. Fine motor skills continue to develop throughout the childhood years and, by 4 years of age, are much more precise. Children can use their hands as tools by middle childhood and start to show fine motor skills similar to those of adults at 10 to 12 years of age.

2.1.1.2 - Cognitive Development

Children construct their own cognitive worlds, building mental structures to adapt to the world. They actively construct their meaning and understanding. The progression of cognitive development from infancy to adolescence can be seen as described below.

Infancy: The infant organises and coordinates sensory experiences (such as seeing and hearing) with physical movements. They quickly learn and are able to understand that things they see continue to exist even though these things are no longer around them. They can scan patterns actively and display a growing capacity for remembering in ways that current neuroscience is still exploring.

Early Childhood: The child’s mental life is becoming more expansive with experiences. They have pictures in their minds about various things in the world. Their capacity for new vocabulary and making mental pictures allows for more learning about the world and other people. They begin to make sense of others, getting a sense of how people and things work. Their memories can hold much more than adults sometimes give them credit for.

Middle Childhood: By now, the child can think through reasons using language and ideas, understand well how people and things work around them, and give order to these things in terms of value and size. Their capacity to remember and use what they remember to engage in activities grows in leaps and bounds. They even devise ways to remember better and are able to analyse, problem solve, and imagine alternatives.

Adolescence: The adolescent individual thinks in diverse and complex ways with a growing capacity for working with ideas and logical analysis. This enables them to plan, solve problems, and systematically test solutions. They are able to mentally look back at their own actions and evaluate, form a sense of themselves as different and similar to others, and are able to engage with ideas of right and wrong. They can be focussed and flexible in their thinking and make decisions with reasoning.

2.1.1.3 - Language Development

The development of language is a significant aspect of a child’s development. The trajectory of this development across the age ranges is described below.

Infancy: Among the milestones in infant language development are crying (birth), cooing (1 to 2 months), babbling (6 months), using gestures (8 to 12 months), recognition of their name (as early as 5 months), first word spoken (10 to 15 months), vocabulary spurt (18 months), rapid expansion of understanding words (18 to 24 months), and two-word utterances (18 to 24 months).

Early Childhood: Young children increase their grasp of language’s rule systems. In terms of phonology, most young children become more sensitive to the sounds of spoken language. Children learn and apply rules of syntax and of how words should be ordered. Vocabulary development increases dramatically during early childhood, and their conversational skills improve. They increase their sensitivity to the needs of others in conversation, and they learn to change their speech style to suit the situation.

Middle Childhood: Children gradually become more analytical and logical in their approach to words and grammar. They become increasingly able to use complex grammar and produce narratives that make sense. Improvements in metalinguistic awareness — knowledge about language — become evident as children start defining words, expand their knowledge of syntax, and understand better how to use language in culturally appropriate ways.

Adolescence: In adolescence, language changes include more effective use of words; improvements in the ability to understand metaphor, satire, and adult literary works; and improvements in writing. Young adolescents often speak a dialect with their peers, using jargon and slang.

2.1.1.4 - Socio-emotional Development

A child’s socio-emotional development impacts the other domains of development. Physical, cognitive, and language development is highly influenced by how children feel about themselves and how they are able to express their ideas and emotions.

a. Emotional and Personality Development

Infancy: Emotions are the first language with which parents and infants communicate and emotions play a key role in parent-child relationships. Infants display a number of emotions early in their development. Crying is the most important mechanism newborns have for communicating with the people in their world.

Early Childhood: Advances in young children’s emotional development involve expressing, understanding, and regulating emotions. Young children’s range of emotions expands during early childhood as they increasingly experience self-conscious emotions such as pride, shame, and guilt. They also show a growing awareness of the need to manage emotions to meet social standards.

Middle Childhood: Self-understanding increasingly involves social and psychological characteristics, including social comparison. The development of self-regulation is an important aspect of this Stage. Developmental changes in emotion include increased understanding of complex emotions, such as pride and shame, improvements in the ability to suppress and conceal negative emotions, and the use of strategies to redirect feelings. Children use a greater variety of coping strategies.

Adolescence: Identity development is complex and takes place in bits and pieces. Some researchers have found that self-esteem declines in early adolescence for both boys and girls, but the drop for girls is often greater perhaps due to unfortunate and asymmetric societal expectations that need to be broken. Self-esteem reflects perceptions that do not always match reality.

b. Role of Families

Infancy: In infancy, contact comfort and trust are important in the development of attachment. Infants show a strong interest in their social world and are motivated to understand it. Infants orient to the social world early in their development.

Early Childhood: Families play a significant role in the socio-emotional development of the child. The child takes emotional cues from the family and the socio-emotional state of family interactions. The sense of emotional security and comfort in interactions largely depends on the family environment.

Middle Childhood: Children begin to form strong bonds with peers, while families continue to play a significant role in their emotional development. The socio-emotional state of peer groups and social groups also has a strong influence on the child’s socio-emotional dispositions.

Adolescence: There is a significant shift in the influence of peers. Identity formation, rebelling against authority, conflict, and aggression are sometimes markers of this age. Families’ influence is often significantly lower on socio-emotional development, but the way conflicts are handled within the family has a significant impact.

c. Role of Peers

Early Childhood: Peers are powerful socialisation agents. Peers provide a source of information and comparison about the world outside the family. In early childhood, children distinguish between friends and non-friends, with a friend often described as someone to play with. Rough-and-tumble play is more likely to occur in peer relations, whereas, in times of stress, children often turn to parents rather than peers for support.

Middle Childhood: Children form stronger bonds with peers that go beyond play. Friendships are formed and friend groups become an important source for emotional development. Children continue to seek confirmation from adults at home and in school.

Adolescence: There is a significant shift in the influence of peers. Identity formation, rebelling against authority, conflict, and aggression are sometimes markers. Fitting in and receiving confirmation from peer groups often becomes a priority at this age.

2.1.1.5 - Moral Development

Infancy: The sense of right and wrong in infants depends on their feelings and desires. Their sense of rightness depends on whether their needs are met or not.

*Early Childhood: *Children think of justice and rules as unchangeable properties of the world and beyond the control of people. They judge the rightness of behaviour by considering the consequences and not the intentions of the individual.

Middle Childhood: Children begin to express objective ideas on fairness. They believe that equity can mean that people with disabilities or merit need special treatment.

Adolescence: Closer to adulthood, children begin to develop their own moral values while questioning and analysing the ones set by their parents or society. They value rules, but also negotiate. As they develop abstract reasoning abilities, they display interest in the larger good for society.

*2.1.2 Panchakosha Vikas (Five-fold Development) *

A Keystone in Indian Tradition

Panchakosha Vikas (Five-fold Development) is a keystone in the Indian tradition of the imagination of the development of human beings. The child is a whole being with panchakoshas or five sheaths. The layers are annamaya kosha (physical layer), pranamaya kosha (life force energy layer), manomaya kosha (mind layer), vijnanamaya kosha (intellectual layer), and anandamaya kosha (inner self). Each layer exhibits certain distinct characteristics. The holistic development of a child takes into account the nurturing and nourishment of these five layers.

Specific types of practices are designed to enable the development of each of these koshas. However, the practices are designed keeping in mind that the koshas are interconnected and so activities that focus primarily on one would also contribute to the development of the others.

For example, the physical dimensions are developed through a focus on a balanced diet, traditional games, and adequate exercise, as well as yoga asanas (at the appropriate ages), which build both gross and fine motor skills. Learning to breathe in a way that provides necessary oxygen for the entire body is important; it trains the voice and provides direction for increased self-awareness. A wide variety of stories, songs, lullabies, poems, and prayers enable children to not only develop a love for their cultural context, but also provide value-based insights. This contributes to language development beginning with listening or shravana, as well as the ability to focus and concentrate. The senses, indriyas, are to be sharpened to be able to experience the world around in all its beauty and wonder. Seva integrated into everyday life enables the experience of joy of relationships along with being a part of and doing good for one’s community.

The Panchakosha concept and imagination also maps into the different Curricular Areas as envisaged in the NCF.

*a. Physical Development (Sharirik Vikas) and Development of Life Energy (Pranik Vikas): * Age-specific balanced physical development, physical fitness, flexibility, strength, and endurance; development of senses; nutrition, hygiene, personal health, expansion of physical abilities; building body and habits keeping in mind one hundred years of healthy living in a human being. Balance and retention of energy, positive energy and enthusiasm, smooth functioning of all major systems (digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems) by activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Physical Education and Well-being as a Curricular Area plays a vital role in this development.

b.Emotional/Mental Development (Manasik Vikas): Concentration, peace, will and will power, courage, handling negative emotions, developing virtues (maulyavardhan), the will to attach and detach from work, people, and situations, happiness, visual and performing arts, culture, and literature. This aspect of socio-emotional development needs to be addressed in almost all Curricular Areas, particularly in Art and Vocational Education.

c. Intellectual Development (Bauddhik Vikas): Observation, experimentation, analytical ability, abstract and divergent thinking, synthesis, logical reasoning, linguistic skills, imagination, creativity, power of discrimination, generalisation, and abstraction. The knowledge and capacities developed in all the Curricular Areas lead to intellectual development in breadth and depth.

d. Spiritual Development (Chaitsik Vikas): Happiness, love and compassion, spontaneity, freedom, aesthetic sense, the journey of ‘turning the awareness inwards’. A healthy body, with appropriate emotional balance and knowledge in depth, allows human beings to explore the wonders of this Universe. This exploration in its ultimate form, done with appropriate humility and curiosity, often reveals the true nature of the individual and the Universe, which indeed is a spiritual experience.

Panchakosha is an ancient explication of the importance of the body-mind complex in human experience and understanding. This non-dichotomous approach to human development gives clear pathways and direction for meaningful education. The NCF, through the eight Curricular Areas outlined, inspired by the concept of Panchakosha, aspires towards a more holistic education.

Section 2.2 - Development of Concepts in a Curricular Area and Requirements of Capacities

Child development describes the process of growth and maturation of children in different domains and associated faculties, which have a direct implication on what can be learnt by children in each Stage and how they can learn it, thus informing the 5+3+3+4 structure. The other matter that directly informs this curricular structure is the nature of the ‘what’, its complexity, its demands on faculties, and its other characteristics. The nature of knowledge and capacities to be learnt have implications on the sequence in which such learning and development of concepts and skills can occur. This section explores some of these sequences and their implications for the four Stages of schooling.

2.2.1 Reading Development

Reading has become central to education and schooling. Most learning materials, whether in the form of textbooks or worksheets, have printed text in them and students are expected to read and comprehend them. So it is important to consider the stages of reading development in the design of the School Stages. Reading develops in the following stages [Chall. J.S, 1983]:

a. Stage 1: Pre-reading: Children develop oral language capacities and begin to recognise individual sounds in parts of speech. Exposure to rich language use, specifically directed at children, is critical for developing oral language and vocabulary that are necessary for initial reading. Exposure to the use of printed texts by adults helps develop the concept of print.

b. Stage 2: Initial Reading: Children start making connections between oral sounds and the visual symbolic form of the written system. This aspect of reading is termed as ‘decoding’, where the effort is focussed on establishing letter-sound relationships and using this understanding to read familiar and unfamiliar words.

c. Stage 3: Fluency and Ungluing from Print: Their decoding abilities become fluent and, thus, place low cognitive demand on the process of converting the textual symbols to sounds. With the release of this burden, their focus shifts to grasping the meaning in the text.

d. Stage 4: Reading for Learning the New: In this stage, children are not just reading familiar texts and engaging with familiar ideas in a textual form. They are able to learn new ideas and concepts through the process of reading. They are not relying only on their concrete physical experience, but are able to imagine possibilities based on what they read. Reaching this stage is especially important for students to become independent learners.

e. Stage 5: Multiple Viewpoints: In this stage, a more critical understanding of the text being read becomes possible. The students can understand that the author of the text has a specific viewpoint and that there are possible other viewpoints. They can bring in their own understanding and critically evaluate the piece of text.

f. Stage 6: Construction and Reconstruction: The reader forms a worldview based on what they are reading. They consciously choose books to further deepen their worldview or challenge the worldview that they hold. They are able to identify the core thesis of the author(s), identify their agreements and disagreements with that thesis, and are able to synthesise and construct a new thesis through this process.

In this approach to stages of reading, by the end of the Preparatory Stage students should be reaching stage 3, and by end of the Middle Stage they should be at stage 4. In the Secondary Stage, they should achieve stage 5 and begin stage 6.

2.2.2 Perceptual, Practical, and Theoretical Concepts

Concept formation is at the core of the cognitive development of the child. A concept is a mental model that we make to understand the world. These models are created by a process of abstraction and categorisation. Understanding different kinds of concepts is very relevant for curricular planning.

Perceptual concepts are concepts formed through our perception or senses. Very young children can start differentiating objects based on their colour, shape, texture, and perhaps even taste and smell. More complex concepts, such as birds having feathers and dogs having legs and bark, are perceptual concepts too. They are formed through careful observation and the use of the senses. Children almost automatically form these concepts through their experiences. By giving names to objects and experiences, language plays an important role in developing and expressing these concepts.

Practical concepts are concepts formed not just by perception, but the practical use that is embedded. For example, a table or a chair is not a mere perception of the colour or shape of the object, but the practical use of the object. While the chair is an object on which people sit, a table is not usually used for sitting but to put objects on it or use for work. To form practical concepts, children need to have some understanding of social life. To understand a practical concept, one must grasp what people do with an object and what they use it for [Dearden. R.F., 1968]. Again, through engagement and exposure to exercises in practical life, children develop practical concepts.

Language development plays a very important role in the development of perceptual and practical concepts. Language enables us to check our experiences with others and ensure we have a shared meaning emerging from these experiences. This ensures that we grasp the socially accepted use of the practical concept or the socially accepted vocabulary that represents the perceptual concept.

Theoretical concepts, on the other hand, explore in highly systematic ways our ordinary ‘common sense’ experience. These concepts make sense only within a form of understanding. While a spherical or rectangular shape can be perceived, the mathematical understanding of a sphere or a rectangle has a very precise meaning. A rupee coin might perceptually mean a shiny, round object. The practical use of it can also be grasped. But to understand money as an economic concept, children need an introduction to a whole lot of theories and conceptual structures in economics.

While perceptual and practical concepts require not much more than a normal intuitive mind, theoretical concepts often are counterintuitive. To grasp that the earth is rotating around the sun at 30 kilometres per second and we are standing on a spinning orb rotating at the speed of 460 meters per second, we cannot rely on our perceptions, nor can ordinary practical experience be of any assistance. We need an understanding of physics and mathematics. There is often a discontinuity between our intuitions and ordinary practices and the nature of reality.

Thus theoretical concepts cannot be acquired merely through experiences or learning by doing. They need a more deliberate attempt of the Teacher and the student to grasp the meaning behind the experience by connecting it to various conceptual structures and the methods of inquiry specific to a form of understanding.

This indicates that very young children can grasp and develop perceptual and practical concepts through experience and human interaction along with effective use of language. Theoretical concepts, on the other hand, make sense only through the introduction of a form of understanding and perhaps can wait till the Middle Stage. In the Secondary Stage, students gain deeper disciplinary knowledge and methods. This enables them to grasp the deeper meanings of theoretical concepts by placing the concepts within the overall framework of the disciplines, explaining them using the current valid theories of the discipline, and also by linking these concepts to theoretical concepts in other disciplines.

2.2.3 Modes of Inquiry

The modes of inquiry used by children to develop conceptual understanding play a very important role in the selection of content, pedagogy, and assessment. The progression of these modes of inquiry also has implications for the Stages of schooling.

2.2.3.1 - Play and Exploration

Young children learn various concepts, particularly perceptual and practical concepts, largely through play and open exploration. Their incredibly curious and absorbent minds are constantly exploring the natural and social world around them. They are intuitive problem solvers and grasp conventions of language use and social behaviour through observation and imitation. At this Stage, a stimulating environment and the freedom to explore and play are the biggest and most effective sources of learning. The stimulation does not come only from the material environment, but also from an attentive and active adult and peer group.

2.2.3.2 - Capacities for Inquiry

From a broad and free exploration, children need to acquire more specific capacities that have an important role in further inquiry. In addition to the foundational capacities of literacy and numeracy, they acquire skills of observation, data collection, analysis, and more. Gross motor and fine motor skills relevant to Physical Education, Art Education, and Vocational Education are developed. Further, capacities for attention, perseverance, and memory are also developed. These capacities are utilised in informal methods of inquiry to make sense of the world around them and to respond to the practical necessities of life. These capacities can be developed by giving learning experiences that are practical and within the social context of the student. The opportunities for learning can be guided explorations with the specific intent to develop these capacities.

2.2.3.3 - Methods of Inquiry

To gain a deeper understanding, particularly of theoretical concepts, students need to gain knowledge and capacities for specific methods of inquiry. These methods are particular to different types of knowledge. Mathematics, Science, and Social Science have their own methods of inquiry and logic of reasoning. They have specific theories and a web of concepts, the understanding of which gives insight into a new way of thinking about the world. These methods, theories, and concepts increase the depth of inquiry within a specific convention or tradition. Similarly, Art has its specific forms and traditions in, e.g., visual art, music, dance, and theatre.

Understanding these forms and acquiring the relevant practices enables the students for a deeper exploration of aesthetic experiences. Specific forms of sports and practices such as yoga have their own methods.

By getting introduced to these methods, students gain capacities for systematic and rigorous methods of inquiry in specific forms of understanding.

Teaching, in this Stage, is more formal and the emphasis is on understanding the conventions and the ‘rules of the game’ of each form of understanding, and the necessary capacity to ’play’ within these ’rules’.

2.2.3.4 - Disciplinary Exploration

In this Stage, students gain disciplinary depth within each type of knowledge. The mode of inquiry becomes exploratory again like in the first Stage, but within a framework of a discipline or a form. For example, a student with sufficient capacities/skills for dancing and a grounded knowledge of Bharatanatyam as a form of dance can now use these capacities and knowledge for creative expressions through dance. Similarly, after gaining sufficient capacities for scientific inquiry through experimentation and instrumentation in Biology, students can pursue interesting and challenging questions about life forms and attempt to answer these questions within the discipline of Biology. A more sophisticated form of exploration would be to utilise their knowledge in multiple disciplines and approach problems with interdisciplinary solutions.

Section 2.3 - Stage Design

The curriculum for the four Stages of schooling has been designed based on the vision of NEP and on the considerations of child development, conceptual nature (complexity, abstraction) of subjects, and the appropriate modes of inquiry at each age range.

2.3.1 Foundational Stage

The Foundation Stage is for children of ages between 3 and 8. Children start schooling in the Foundational Stage. The design is based on the principles of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). NEP 2020 states:

ECCE ideally consists of flexible, multi-faceted, multi-level, play-based, activity-based, and inquiry-based learning, comprising of alphabets, languages, numbers, counting, colours, shapes, indoor and outdoor play, puzzles, and logical thinking, problem-solving, drawing, painting and other visual art, craft, drama and puppetry, music and movement. It also includes a focus on developing social capacities, sensitivity, good behaviour, courtesy, ethics, personal and public cleanliness, teamwork, and cooperation. The overall aim of ECCE will be to attain optimal outcomes in the domains of: physical and motor development, cognitive development, socio- emotional-ethical development, cultural/artistic development, and the development of communication and early language, literacy, and numeracy.

[NEP 2020, 1.2]

a. Curricular Structure: The Foundational Stage curriculum of the NCF is divided into domains that are closely linked to the developmental domains of the child — Physical Development, Socio-emotional-ethical Development, Cognitive Development, Language and Literacy Development, and Aesthetic and Cultural Development. The mother tongue is emphasised for language and literacy development and to ease, and make more effective, learning in other domains as well. The five domains of development are also informed by the Panchakosha imagination.

b. Content: Textbooks are used only from Grade 1 and most of the content consists of concrete materials — toys, puzzles, and manipulatives. Along with these materials, learning experiences organised through physical exploration of the classroom and outdoor space becomes the most appropriate content. In later years of this Stage, worksheets can start playing a bigger role. Children’s literature is a very important source of content for language and literacy development.

c. Pedagogy: The pedagogical approach suggested is play based and emphasises the nurturing, caring relationships between the Teacher and the children. The pedagogical design should allow for a balance between self-paced individual learning to a more social group-based learning. Development of foundational capacities in literacy and numeracy would require systematic guidance from the Teacher as well as adequate time for the child to practise and repeat on their own. Whole class instruction should be balanced with time for children to work on their own, either with materials or with worksheets.

d. Assessments: Most assessments are observations made by Teachers and not explicit testing of abilities of students. Worksheets used by children can give information to Teachers about progress in learning.

e. Classroom Arrangement: Children of this age group need to move freely and have adequate opportunities for engaging their natural curiosity and exploration. Classroom arrangements should reflect this need of the children and should not restrict their movement, e.g., through the placement of play/activity/learning corners that keep the centre of the room free and open.

f. Teachers: Since the relationship between children and the Teacher is critical for this Stage, the same Teacher would engage in all the domains and there would not be any subject/ domain-specific Teacher. The Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) is also expected to be lower since individual attention and assessment through observation are necessary.

The Foundational Stage bridges the divide between the home environment of the child and the formal school environment. It develops capacities in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy that enable the student to learn all other subject areas. In addition to these capacities, it develops valuable dispositions for active learning and enables students to become engaged learners in formal school environments. Play and exploration are the natural modes through which children learn and the Foundational Stage utilises these modes to promote valuable capacities and dispositions.

2.3.2 Preparatory Stage

The duration of the Preparatory Stage is three years and includes Grades 3, 4, and 5.

The Preparatory Stage will comprise three years of education, building on the play-, discovery-, and activity-based pedagogical and curricular style of the Foundational Stage, but also gradually beginning to incorporate textbooks as well as aspects of more formal classroom learning. There would mostly be generalist teachers during this stage, with the possible exception of some specialist language and art teachers (who may be shared across the school or school complex). The aim of this stage will be to lay the general groundwork across subjects, including reading, writing, speaking, physical education, art, languages, science, and mathematics, so that students are prepared to delve deeper into learning areas through specialised subjects and subject teachers in the stages that follow.

[KRCR 2019, 4.1.1]

a. Curricular Structure: The Preparatory Stage curriculum of the NCF is divided into the following Curricular Areas — at least two Languages, Mathematics, Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, and The World Around Us. The World Around Us is an interdisciplinary area that encourages exploration and understanding of both the natural world and the social world. Aspects of work in Vocational Education are also incorporated into this Curricular Area. The preparation is largely focussed on capacities and dispositions at this Stage.

b. Content: Textbooks start playing a bigger role in the areas of Language and Mathematics. A variety of children’s literature should complement the Language textbook to consolidate students’ literacy capacities. Materials and manipulatives continue to play a role in Mathematics, though emphasis shifts to symbolic representation in correspondence with concrete materials. The World Around Us should rely less on the textbook and more on experiential learning with physical exploration as the main source of content. The content needs to be within the familiar contexts of the student.

c. Pedagogy: Activity- and discovery-based pedagogy continues in this Stage, gradually encouraging students to be active within a formal classroom arrangement. The ability to concentrate and pay continuous attention to classroom lectures and discussions needs to be encouraged. Some proportion of the self-paced individual work should be part of the classroom activity, while some amount of homework can be included.

d. Assessments: Assessments in this Stage are a combination of observation of students’ activity, correcting their worksheets, and short, formal written evaluations. Periodic summative assessments should supplement the more frequent formative assessments.

e. Classroom Arrangement: The classroom setting is a balance between a formal environment and an arrangement that encourages movement and exploration. Students sitting and working in groups should be encouraged.

f. Teachers: Teachers continue to be generalists and teach across Curricular Areas. For Art and Physical Education and Well-being, specialists from the school complexes can be invited for the development of specific capacities and skills, but the Class Teacher should continue to be present and mediate these interactions with the students.

The Preparatory Stage consolidates the capacities and dispositions that begin to develop in the Foundational Stage. Students are expected to develop fluency in literacy and numeracy and develop further capacities that are helpful in a systematic exploration of the natural and social worlds around them.

2.3.3 Middle Stage

The duration of the Middle Stage is also three years and includes Grades 6, 7, and 8.

The Middle Stage will comprise three years of education, building on the pedagogical and curricular style of the Preparatory Stage, but with the introduction of subject teachers for learning and discussion of the more abstract concepts in each subject that students will be ready for at this stage across the sciences, mathematics, arts, social sciences, and humanities. Experiential learning within each subject, and explorations of relations among different subjects, will be encouraged and emphasized despite the introduction of more specialised subjects and subject teachers.

[NEP 2020, 4.2]

a. Curricular Structure: The Middle Stage expands the Curricular Areas to include Science (i.e., the study of the physical and natural world) and Social Science (i.e., the study of the human world), and students also get exposure to Vocational Education. Based on the capacities and dispositions in the Preparatory Stage, students engage more formally with knowledge and values in the Middle Stage. Curricular Areas are dealt with as ‘forms of understanding’ with explicit engagement with paradigmatic theories and conceptual structures that frame each area. The more generic capacities (such as observation and data collection) developed in the Preparatory Stage are now specialised into specific methods of inquiry that are appropriate for each form of understanding. For example, students gain an understanding of the methods of inquiry in Science and also contrast them with the methods of inquiry in History or in the Arts. The conventions and protocols of each form of understanding are also introduced in the Middle Stage.

b. Content: The content in the Middle Stage needs to reflect the engagement with theoretical concepts and the introduction of theories and conceptual frameworks specific to each form of understanding. There is a shift to more abstract ideas and the students are expected to engage with unfamiliar contexts and situations. The textbooks begin to play a central role in mediating the content in the Middle Stage. Both the expansion of Curricular Areas and the engagement with abstract ideas and unfamiliar contexts could be challenging for students. Well-designed textbooks with clear expectations and specific learning goals would support students in entering these forms of understanding in a structured and systematic manner.

c. Pedagogy: Pedagogy is a judicious balance of direct instruction and opportunities for exploration and inquiry. As mentioned before, the expansion of content areas and the abstract nature of theories place a heavier cognitive demand on students. The focus on concept development indicates that the Teacher must pay attention to the prior concepts that students might already have and how to use those concepts to bring about active learning. The emphasis is not on accumulating facts, but on becoming fluent in the methods of inquiry within each form of understanding.

d. Assessments: Assessments can become more formal and explicit. The focus of assessments should be on the specific ways of reasoning within each form of understanding and not primarily on the recall of facts. Formal tests and examinations play a role with the expectation that students can process larger chunks of information together for analysis and synthesis. Periodic summative assessments should again supplement the more frequent formative assessments.

e. Classroom Arrangement: The classroom is increasingly a formal space allowing for group work and peer interactions. Subject-specific classrooms become effective when equipped with appropriate TLMs and other resources.

f. Teachers: Subject-specific Teachers handle different Curricular Areas in this Stage. Teachers need a profound understanding of the Curricular Area in terms of vertical connections of concepts within the subject and horizontal connections with concepts in other areas. Students of this age benefit from engaging with a diverse set of adults who have their own personalities and interests. Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, and Vocational Education can have visiting faculty who have specialised knowledge and skills.

The Middle Stage utilises the capacities and dispositions developed during the Preparatory Stage and introduces the students to different forms of understanding. Students gain systematic knowledge through rational thought and enquiry. The capacities for critical thinking and problem solving are consolidated in this Stage and they acquire the desirable values and dispositions for democratic/economic/cultural participation.

2.3.4 Secondary Stage

2.3.4.1 NEP 2020 — Considerations

a. No Hard Separation. NEP 2020 gives clear mandate to move away from the current practice of streaming into Science, Arts/Humanities, and Commerce. Instead, students can choose subjects across Curricular Areas. Thus, the Secondary Stage design should enable both breadth through engagement with a variety of subjects across streams — including Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, and Vocational Education — as well as depth in areas chosen by students.

b. Breadth and Depth. Students should have breadth and depth across multiple disciplines and depth in chosen subjects.

c. Choice and Flexibility. Students should have flexibility and choice across subjects and Curricular Areas.

d. Reduced Content Load. ‘Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core essentials, to make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery- based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning.’ [NEP 2020, 4.5]

e. Reduced Exam Pressures. ‘Board exams will also be made ‘easier’, in the sense that they will test primarily core capacities/competencies rather than months of coaching and memorization.’ [NEP 2020, 4.37]

2.3.4.2 - Curricular Structure

a. To enable the vision of NEP 2020, the Secondary Stage will be designed in two phases — Grades 9 and 10, and Grades 11 and 12. In Grades 9 and 10, students engage with a breadth of curriculum across Curricular Areas. In Grades 11 and 12, more specialisations and choices are available to students while still maintaining significant breadth.

b. Grades 9 and 10 will ensure breadth, building on the learning achieved in the Middle Stage with clear continuity between the two stages.

i. Study 3 Languages — R1, R2, R3 — at least two of which are native to India Study 7 subjects — Mathematics and Computational Thinking, Social Science, Science, Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, Vocational Education, and Interdisciplinary Areas. Each of these subjects will be a well-integrated and coherent study of multiple disciplines; for example, in Science — Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science. Again, the emphasis would be on learning core concepts/competencies rather than the memorisation of facts.(See Figure 2.3i)

ii. Learning Standards for these subjects are articulated in the corresponding Curricular Areas for this phase in this NCF, and it is expected that all students attain these Learning Standards. (See Part C, Chapters 2-9)

iii. All Secondary Schools will need to offer 3 Languages as well as all the 7 subjects, so that all students are able to complete Grade 10. Out of these, Art, Physical Education and Well-being, and Vocational Education would be examined locally. (See §2.3.4.7 on Assessment)

c. Grades 11 and 12 will enable depth of study based on choices that students make.

i. To ensure that students have a depth of learning across a range of human knowledge, students will have to: 1) Choose two Languages from Group 1, at least one of which is native to India. 2) Choose four subjects (with an optional fifth subject) from at least two of the following groups:

• Group 2: Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, Vocational Education • Group 3: Social Science and Humanities, Interdisciplinary Areas • Group 4: Science, Mathematics & Computational Thinking

These Groups have been created to address the requirement of breadth of study in NEP 2020, which is why there is a requirement to choose subjects from at least two groups. In the longer term, as schools develop the requisite capacity, it will be desirable for students to have to take subjects from all three Groups above to develop well-rounded thinking. (For more details on Groups, Curricular Areas, and Subjects see Figure 2.3ii)

The following are some of the key considerations for designing the subject courses in Grades 11 and 12.

1) In the case of subjects based on academic disciplines, the intent would be to give adequate exposure to the key conceptual structures and theories of the discipline and develop capacities of inquiry in that discipline. The students would develop an understanding of how this discipline behind the subject fits within the Curricular Area and the open questions that the discipline is currently engaging with. This would enable students to make informed decisions about the pursuit of this discipline in higher education or to study it on their own.

2) In case of Interdisciplinary Areas, a very wide range of subjects can be offered. Art Education can offer specific forms of art as subjects, while Physical Education and Well-being can offer specialisations based on practices such as Yoga. In the case of vocational areas, the subject should equip students to enter the world of work in a particular vocation. Contemporary subjects, such as Artificial Intelligence, Design Thinking, Holistic Health, Organic Living, and Global Citizenship Education, as recommended by NEP 2020 can be offered as courses in appropriate Groups. An illustrative list of subjects is given in Figure 2.3ii.

3) This NCF states the broad aims for the Curricular Areas and does not specify the Learning Standards for Grades 11 and 12 that must be achieved in each subject. These have to be articulated specifically in terms of Competencies and Learning Outcomes for each subject by syllabus developers. However, this NCF has specific illustrations of a few disciplines (See Part C, Chapter 10).

4) Since students would have a wide choice, syllabus/course designers of subjects should not assume that students would choose a ‘complementing’ subject. For example, the Biology courses in Grade 11 and 12 cannot be designed on the assumption that students are enrolled in Chemistry in their Grade 11 and 12.

5) Subjects can be offered at different levels. For example, there can be a Basic Mathematics subject as well as Advanced Mathematics. Students will be given the choice of opting for different levels.

ii. Students are expected to make their choices on the basis of their passions and interests, and their future plans either in the world of work or in higher education after their school completion. See Figure 2.3iv for some illustrative combinations that students may choose.

2.3.4.3 - Implications for Schools and Boards of Examination

a.* For Phase 1: Grades 9 and 10*

i. Schools should offer all the ten subjects required for 10th grade certification (see Figure 2.3i)

b. For Phase 2: Grades 11 and 12

i. Schools should offer a minimum of 2 Languages.

ii. Schools should, at a minimum, offer subjects from at least two Groups amongst Groups 2, 3 and 4.

iii. In 5 years, schools should offer subjects from all four Groups.

iv. Within 10 years, many more subjects should be offered within Groups to give more choice and flexibility to students and all Curricular Areas should be covered.

c. Boards of examination

i. Boards of examination should offer all subjects for Grade 10.

ii. For Grade 12, Boards should not restrict students to choose subjects within streams (such as Science or Commerce), and instead allow flexibility to choose from different Groups.

iii. A wide range of examinations for different subjects within Groups should be designed to increase choice and flexibility for students and schools.

iv. Subject examinations at different levels (e.g., basic and advanced) should be offered.

v. Processes for empanelling external examiners for Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, and Vocational Education should be defined.

vi. Board examinations should be made ‘easier’, in the sense that they test primarily core capacities/competencies rather than months of coaching and memorisation.

2.3.4.4 - Implementation in Phases

The NCF 2023 aims to respond meaningfully to the recommendations of NEP 2020 in giving more flexibility and choice to students and not creating hard separations between disciplines. Along with these responses, the Curricular Areas of Art Education, Physical Education and Well- being, Vocational Education, and Interdisciplinary Areas have received additional attention. In order to fully realise the vision of NEP 2020 in a practical manner, the NCF 2023 recommends a phased approach towards implementing the curriculum.

a. Schools and Examination Boards should be prepared to offer and assess all the ten Curricular Areas for Grade 10 right from the beginning of the implementation of this NCF.

b. Schools and Examinations Boards should be prepared to offer a minimum of two Languages for Grade 12 from the beginning of the implementation of this NCF.

c. Schools should be prepared to offer subjects from at least two Groups amongst Groups 2, 3, and 4, immediately. Within 5 years, schools should be ready to offer subjects from all the four Groups. Within 10 years, schools should offer many more subjects covering all Curricular Areas.

d. The Secondary Stage has been divided into two phases — Grades 9 and 10, and Grades 11 and 12. In 10 years, all school systems should move to a single unified stage for secondary, where students have choice and flexibility with breadth right from Grade 9 through 12 — thus realising the NEP vision of the Secondary Stage as being ‘four years of multidisciplinary study’.

e. The current system of study in annual patterns should move to a semester design. This would allow for greater flexibility in design of courses.

f. In ten years, Boards of Examination should be prepared to offer certification through ‘easier’ modular examinations — ‘that each test far less material and are taken immediately after the course is taken in school’ [NEP 2020, 4.38] — in order to eliminate the need for studying large amounts of material at once and to thereby further reduce coaching culture and the need for coaching.

2.3.4.5 - Content

For Grades 9 and 10, textbooks can continue to be an important source of content. For Grades 11 and 12, each semester-long course can have its own specific course compendium. At this Stage, a variety of content addressing specific concepts and methods of inquiry should be made available to Teachers and the Teachers should choose appropriate content packages to meet the Learning Objectives of the courses.

2.3.4.6 - Pedagogy

Pedagogy, at this Stage, should take into consideration the knowledge and capacities that students will bring from the previous stages of schooling. The pedagogy should encourage more self-study and exploration, with a focus on becoming fluent in the methods of inquiry specific to the Curricular Area. At this stage, students can be reasonably expected to become independent learners and the pedagogy in the classroom should reflect this expectation. Classroom interactions should be a judicious mix of more direct instruction from the Teacher with discussion, seminars for discussion, exploration and discovery, and opportunities for students to prepare individual and group projects and present key concepts of the discipline.

2.3.4.7 - Assessment

a. Grades 9 and 10

i. Students must successfully ‘pass’ Board examinations at the end of Grade 10. These examinations are conducted by the respective Boards of examinations with central evaluation. These examinations should assess the Competencies defined in the Learning Standards for each Curricular Area:

1) The Languages Curricular Area would have 3 examinations — for R1, R2, and R3.

2) The Curricular Areas of Mathematics and Computational Thinking, Science, Social Science, and Interdisciplinary Areas would have one examination each adding to 4 examinations.

ii. Assessment schemes (question papers) for Art, Physical Education and Well-being, and Vocational Education can be prepared by the appropriate Board of examinations, and both the assessment and evaluation can be done locally at the school level with external examiners.

iii. Boards must offer these examinations multiple times (each being a ‘cycle’) in the same academic year — and students’ final certification must be on the basis of their best performance across these cycles, including taking the best performance from different Curricular Areas from different cycles within three academic years.

b. Grades 11 and 12

i. To complete Grade 12, students should ‘pass’ the following Board examinations:

1) 2 examinations in Languages, at least one of which is native to India. These Languages may or may not be continuations of R1, R2, or R3 — for example, they may be a specialised literature class in R1, R2, or R3, or a new Indian Language (such as Sanskrit or classical Tamil) and/or a foreign language.

2) 4 examinations from at least 2 Groups (plus an optional 5th exam):

• Group 2: Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, Vocational Education

• Group 3: Social Science, Interdisciplinary Areas

• Group 4: Science, Mathematics & Computational Thinking

ii. The mode of conducting examinations should be liberalised in due course from the rigid annual examinations. Modular Examinations can be offered by Boards as opposed to a single examination at the end of the year. These can be offered at different times of the year. In due course, Boards of examinations should develop capacities to offer ‘on demand’ examinations. The final certification will be based on the cumulative result of each of the examinations.

iii. Assessment schemes (question papers) for Art Education, Physical Education and Well-being, and Vocational Education can be prepared by the appropriate Board of examinations, and both the assessment and evaluation can be done locally at the school level with external examiners.

The matter of assessment and examinations are dealt with in greater detail in Part A, Chapter 3, §3.4 — which are equally relevant to the Secondary Stage.

2.3.4.8 - Classroom Arrangement

The classroom arrangement should take into consideration that students are expected to be more independent learners. The physical arrangement should facilitate group discussions and explorations. Laboratory spaces can be utilised for science classrooms, with adequate safety precautions, instead of separating the sites of learning theory and practice. Dedicated classrooms for specific subjects are very effective at this stage, where the classrooms are equipped with the necessary TLMs.

2.3.4.9 - Teachers Teachers at this stage must be subject specialists with deep understanding and interest in the discipline. Art Education and Physical Education and Well-being would need specialists who are able to teach theory and practice both."