No textbooks for children under six in new curriculum introduced in India

The Indian government has introduced a new foundational curriculum framework that will allow children between the ages of three and six to learn without textbooks. The curriculum will instead focus on learning through toys, lived experiences, the use of mother tongues, and stories of Indian heroes.

According to the announcement made by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, “books incorporating diversity, gender, moral and ethical awareness, and assessment through observation and analysing creativity” will be allowed for the kids but there will not be made compulsory.

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) will be implemented for children between 3 and 8 in New Delhi. Depending on the success of the new system, it will be expanded to all parts of the country, Pradhan said in his interaction with reporters.

“It was the most important and challenging task to develop the first framework for the foundational stage because research has shown that over 85% of an individual’s brain development occurs by the age of 6-8 years. Therefore, it is very important what they should be taught and learn in that age group.”

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) was also instructed to take note of the new framework and create books accordingly to help the kids in understanding the process.

“In the first three years of the foundational stage, for ages three to six, there should not be any prescribed textbooks for the children…children in this age group should not be burdened with textbooks. While textbooks might be inappropriate for children of ages 3 to 6, activity books can guide teachers to sequence activities and learning experiences,” the curriculum framework stated.(WION)