No proposal for uniform school curriculum: Sibal

NEW DELHI: The government today said it has no proposal to enforce a uniform school curriculum at secondary and higher secondary levels in the country.

"There is no proposal to enforce a uniform system and curriculum at secondary and higher secondary levels," HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.

The National Policy on Education had recommended that the national education system will be based on a National Curriculum Framework (NCF), which contains a common core along with other components which are flexible.

In August 2009, the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) emphasised the need for all states to modify their curriculum, syllabi and textbooks on the basis of NCF-2005.

"CABE has endorsed the need for a core curriculum in science and mathematics at secondary and higher secondary levels across all Education Boards in the country, so as to provide a level playing field to all students to join professional courses," Sibal said.

Replying to supplementaries, the minister said 21 Boards unanimously decided to adopt core curriculum in science and mathematics at secondary level.

"Accordingly, NCERT has developed core syllabi in Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics at higher secondary stage in collaboration with Council of Boards of Secondary Education and CBSE," he said, adding core syllabus for commerce stream too is likely to be completed by next month.

The core syllabi is aimed at providing a level-playing field to all students to join professional courses, he added.