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CHAPTER- 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDIA

"Education", says Aristotle, “is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body". It

encompasses in itself the all-round development of an individual. The aim of

education has been categorized variously by different scholars. Herbert Spencer

believed in the 'complete-living aim’ which signifies that education should prepare

the children for life. Rousseau and Mahatma Gandhi also supported the view as they

believed in the complete development or perfection of nature. Education provides a

progressive development of innate abilities that creates good citizens. It also

inculcates certain values and principles that prepare the children for their future. All

round development has been considered as the first and foremost aim of education.

The true goal of education transcends much beyond just awarding degrees to

students. Education aims to develop the intellect of the learners. Education is not

just a tool to earn money to meet the ends; it is the way to liberate the mind and soul

of a person. The main imperative of planning commission and the National

Advisory Board of India is to produce a rational mind which works towards

building an intellectual society.

Today education system in India can be divided into many stages.

• Pre- Primary - It consists of children of three to five years of age studying in

nursery, lower kindergarten and upper kindergarten. At this stage student is

given knowledge about school life and is taught to read and write some basic

words.

• Primary - It includes the age group of children of six to eleven years studying in

classes from first to fifth.

• Middle - It consists of children studying in classes from sixth to eighth.

• Secondary - It includes students studying in classes ninth and tenth.

• Higher Secondary - Includes students studying in eleventh and twelfth classes.

• Undergraduate - Here, a student goes through higher education, which is

completed in college. This course may vary according to the subject pursued by

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the student. For medical student this stage is of four and a half years plus one

year of compulsory internship, while a simple graduate degree can be attained in

three years.

• Postgraduate - After completing graduation a student may opt for post-

graduation to further add to his qualifications.

A good education system is fundamental to a nation and for a nation like India

which is growing, it is of paramount importance to reflect on our present education

system and incorporate sustainable changes in it, to make it compatible with the

global dynamism. The purpose of education is to detect talent proactively and to

guide the child to discover himself, identify and nurture his potential to the fullest.

Teachers must perceive children as seeds to be nurtured and not as clay to be

moulded. They must act as gardeners and not as potters. This attitude must change

and if it does so would the education system. It is essential that education should be

based on application and intelligence instead of trying to test memory of knowledge.

Memory doesn’t have much relevance in today’s times given the volume of

information which is available on the internet. It is the application of information

that matters and should be tested. Children must be taught the difference between

being wise and being knowledgeable; being well informed and being intelligent.

One must be cautious of “Information pollution” which comes along with

globalization and which often blurs the distinction between knowledge and wisdom.

The education system must encourage children to imagine and invent and not

reinvent the same wheel. Each child’s imagination is different and, therefore, he has

to be guided correctly to choose his occupation in life. There is no denying that a

person who has found his vocation in life is a blessed human being.

Despite the importance of Education in and around the world, India’s education

system is still a stumbling block towards its objectives of achieving inclusive

growth. Our present education system lacks practicality and relevance. It’s time for

the educationists to instill some life in the system by connecting classroom lectures

with real-life experiences. The system also lacks personality development lessons,

moral and ethical teaching. Children must be taught to go beyond religion, region

and language. Our current endeavor must be to create ‘One India’ transcending all

parochial barriers. Only then our children would grow up to be sensible, sensitive

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and responsible global citizens. The present education system does not prepare a

child for life; rather, it prepares him for an exam. It is based on a premise that

needs to be challenged and getting outstanding grades is the secret of a successful

life. They must be taught not to chase Grade A and instead be taught that it’s one’s

attitude that determines success. Thus, the present education system unfortunately

leaves behind the millions of average children with an incredible potential, who are

paralyzed by the fear of “failure”. Getting good grades is not a problem but

allowing grades to dictate one’s life is. This defeats the whole purpose of

education which is meant to build and not destroy. The inability of the system to

nurture great minds is quite disheartening; however the blame can’t only be placed

on the education system or the government policy towards it. As it has served its

purpose so far being relevant for the time it started, because it was in the process of

providing universal mass education to the entire country’s younger generation and

population. In the past, the ambitions and aspirations were different and job-

oriented and keeping with these requirements, the education system produced

Indians of high caliber. Today, it seems to be inadequate because the younger

generation is different to those in the past, the country’s requirements and

prospects are changing and booming and the entire world has opened up due to

globalization. In this era of change, our education system appears to be inadequate

to meet aspirations and ambitions of the younger generation.

Education being the face of the society reflects the impact of the social, cultural

and economic phenomena of the society. We need to be creators and innovators

and contribute to the world. Curriculum reform remains a critically important issue

in almost all schools. School education must be made more relevant to the lives of

children. There is need to move away from rote-learning to understanding

concepts, developing good comprehension and communication skills and learning

how to access and process knowledge independently. This will require substantial

changes in the curriculum framework, delivery mechanism and the examination

system. Learning has to be tempered with a lot of innovation. It cannot just be one

subject or six papers; there have to be numerous elements in learning. There has to

be a rooting in the culture and society while at the same time there needs to be

freedom to explore the ideas. Students must be encouraged to think about

understanding the concepts rather than just learning. But the education system in

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India puts more emphasis on the theoretical knowledge than the practical. Students

from the very beginning of their education are forced to mug up the things rather

than to have free thoughts. Education doesn't prepare the students to face the

normal problems in their day to day life. So our education system has to change

fully, and only teach what is necessary especially during the secondary education

which has a vital mission. It has also now being recognized as the cornerstone of

educational systems in the 21st century. Quality secondary education is

indispensable in creating a bright future for individuals and nations alike.

The future of a society lies in innovation, new ideas and ground-breaking

approaches. And only the intellectual can champion the path of innovation. An

independent original thinker is the only one capable of creating new opportunities

for the society. As India progresses in her journey from a developing country to a

developed state, the need of developing intellect will continue to assume more

importance. While the society must change its attitude towards education, change

in the government policies are fundamental for changing the former’s outlook.

Another real critical aspect of Indian education system is the disparity of education

that each child receives due to the parallel functioning of various Boards creating

inequality among students. Most of the state Boards and other Boards have

customized their curriculum according to localized nature of education. The actual

quantity of schooling that children experience and the quality of teaching that they

receive are extremely insufficient in schools. Education being the main source of

human capital can create wide social, emotional and income inequalities among

students within the same group of educated people. Hence, it is imperative for the

government to correct the blemishes in India’s education system which will also be

a step towards reducing inequality. The Indian government has now been

deliberating over the introduction of a single education Board system, but in

Mumbai the debate refuses to die out. A country with 35 different education

Boards including CBSE, ICSE and more recently, the IB, the transition is not

going to be easy.

The educator’s support the idea of a single Board which may not be identical but

equivalent in a manner as they feel it would give the students an equal chance to get

through colleges. Different Boards together need to enhance their capacities to

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reflect and design a school curriculum that brings in a meaningful change in the

curriculum and the examination system which focuses more on "application of

knowledge and less on rote learning". Teaching the students to think out of the box,

analyse and question. Schools often straitjacket students, killing their natural

instincts, killing their potential to become good abstract thinkers. In this regard, it

becomes the responsibility of the government to ensure that steady and continuous

innovations take place in the education sector. Therefore, the government needs to

take a different kind of responsibility like not only providing education but good

education. The government has to invest in good schools to provide quality and

equal education to all the students. And if a single Board promises to offer best

quality education keeping in track with the best practices, which the international

Boards are offering and bench marks itself to the best of the world's standard, then

yes, everything is positive.

1.2 TRENDS IN EDUCATION

Newer trends are emerging in the field of education which has completely changed

the traditionally held perception about education in India. Transition from the

traditional teacher centric method of education to the learner centric education

system, from one style of teaching that suits all the students to customization of

education that is designed according to the needs of each of the customer.

1.2.1 Traditional Perspective of education

A well-established education system existed in India even in ancient times. There

were Gurukul schools that taught philosophy, arts, military education, public

administration, etc. to the students. One major drawback about these schools was

that education was only for the privileged ones belonging to the higher castes.

Teachers and schools enjoyed great honour bestowed on them during the ancient

times. There were no books and recorded medium of passing over the knowledge.

Whatever was taught was taught verbally and knowledge passed from the teacher to

students and so on. The education system then followed the factory method and

education was more for the mass population. The traditional "banking" method of

education that sees students as adaptable and manageable beings still continues in

many schools. The major concentration was on accumulating deposits of

knowledge, where the students did not develop the critical consciousness that would

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lead them to involve with the social process and change it. It killed their critical

power and creativity. From time-to-time new reforms cashed on the opportunity and

imbibed some essential traits, which later on changed the entire structure of Indian

education system. The popular school system, formal education, progressive

learning, higher studies and even the content was inherited. Thus the education

system in India got shaped by the influences and institutions in various periods,

throughout the history.

1.2.2 Current perspective of education

The current education system in India is inherited from the Britishers, however few

significant changes were made in the past 60 years. India today is emerging as a

global power but still there are deficiencies in the system that need to be worked on.

The present education has turned into a profitable business losing its quality with

the increase in the number of professional institutions and politicization adding fuel

to the fire of the already spoiled system. Education system needs reforms to make it

worthwhile and beneficial to all the students. All-round development of student is

the purpose of education. But the present day education is neither imparting true

knowledge of life nor helping one to stand on one’s own feet or improving the talent

of a student by which one can achieve laurels in the field one is interested to

enhance its quality of life. Indian government needs to give priority to the

development of quality education and aspire for the international standard in

education. To achieve this goal it should adopt uniform and universal syllabus in its

educational institutions. This is the way the nation can be developed for peace,

prosperity and progress by able and skilful students. Education should finally be

provided for the blossoming of personality of the student and not for the suppression

of creativity or natural skill. Only then the students would grow up to be sensible,

sensitive and responsible global citizens.

1.2.3 Commercialization of education

The Commercialization of education has been a fairly recent trend in India that

stems from the educational reform in the country and fast economic development

over the last two decades. It mainly materializes itself in mushrooming private and

public schools and have become more expensive and completely profit oriented. As

a result, it has also changed the traditional concepts of education in Indian society,

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including the student-teacher relationship, education, and the attitude towards

gaining knowledge. In commercialized learning, higher education degrees focus

more on the job role they fulfil and less on the traditional academics, such as

sciences and liberal arts.

Two Levels of Commercialization

Commercialization of education has taken place at two different levels:

administrative and instructional. The administrative level requires running the

institute like an enterprise, focusing on budgetary cost-effect, seeking resources,

curriculum evaluation and corresponding adjustment, new hiring policy and new

relationship between teachers and students. Instructional level commercialization

treats the whole process of teaching and learning as cost-effect driven, focusing on

learning/teaching as a necessary step for implementing the curriculum, re-adjusting

the purposes of learning and teaching, personalization in the whole process of

learning/teaching and utility oriented curricular objectives.

Essence of education

Earlier education used to be the storehouse of ethics and moral values and was

always driven by devotion and thought. While it is true that education must evolve

as time passes but with commercialization of education making it easy business the

entire essence of education is lost. Till few years back getting an admission in a

well-esteemed college and institutions used to be extremely challenging and tough

deal to crack. But now education has become so commercialized that seats in such

institutions and colleges are literally buyable. Thereby today’s students fail to

understand the real essence of education in our society. Schools have immense role

to play in our society. It nurtures and polishes young minds and grooms them

mentally, physically and morally. But now most of the reputed schools have become

so commercialized that during the time of admission instead of focusing on the

interest and aptitude of students, focus is more on numbers of cars and houses,

parents have to test their financial strength and their capability of shelling out

money which will help in raising school funds. Thereby money creates its impact in

young and delicate minds of students. Therefore the profit oriented

commercialization of our education has not only shadowed ethics and moral values

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but also has generated plethora of problems which with passage of time will hollow

the system of education.

Escalating involvement of stakeholders

Teachers, students, administrators and parents are the highest stakeholders when it

comes to education. The relationship among them was not highlighted in the

traditional education, when the focus was on student learning. However,

commercialization of education has changed the relationship among these players

through a cost-effect process and product evaluation re-structuring. In a simplistic

sense, it changed a vertical relationship to a horizontal or more flexible relationship,

the role of the teachers and students have changed into those of business and

customer. With the globalization of education, education has become a commodity

to be purchased by a consumer (student) in order to build a “skill set” to be used in

the marketplace or a product to be bought and sold by multinational corporations,

academic institutions that have re-engineered themselves into businesses.

1.2.4 Challenges in education

Education in India faces a lot of challenges. Maintaining the standard of education

in more than a million schools nationwide, offering training programs to teachers,

and keeping good balance with education system worldwide is a big challenge.

There are many different education Boards operating in India, each one follows

their own policies. Government needs to have more control in the programs offered

to the children, the type of courses in the curriculum, to impart education to achieve

goals in terms of hiring teachers keeping in view the curriculum transaction, to

establish employment policies and practices, and all of the other responsibilities

vested in school administration that of being on a Board of Education. Teacher

needs to be trained well enough to meet the needs of the diverse learners by

adopting differentiating instructional strategies. Technology supports classroom

strategies by creating new routes to learning, addressing multiple learning styles,

and providing forums for individualized feedback. Encourage collaboration among

students, teachers, parents, alumni, activists & institutions. Bringing in the students

with diverse background and learning needs on a common learning platform and

catering to their needs expects the teacher to be very innovative and involved. It is

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important for the teachers to be well equipped as per the needs of the curriculum.

The biggest challenge faced by the parents and wards is to decide a particular Board

for education accomplishment. Hence it is essential to impart education in a unified

manner so that access and equity can be maintained.

1.2.5 Diversified Boards

Presently there are several Boards of National and International level and also

schools for specific purpose (vocational, special education and business schools)

which impart education with the outlined objective. School level education needs to

be strengthened qualitatively and quantitatively both in the private and partially

aided government schools. With the revolution in technology there are several

schools which impart education differently under the recognition of Boards.

Technology has transformed the means and methods of studying, the modalities of

school operations and has taken the education system from the chalk Board to the

interactive Boards. ICT in Education means implementing of computers, internet

and other audio visual aids in the teaching-learning process as a media and

methodology to make a long lasting learning impact on the students and also

improving their academic results. Major emphasis was also on innovations and

creativity to nurture ideas which is central to the all-round development in them.

Seeing which the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched

virtual education system in 80 of its schools. This decision was taken only after

pilot testing few schools where virtual classrooms were introduced and they

produced 100% results in std X exams.

There is a disparity between the evaluation systems of various curricular Boards in

the country. A long term goal is to identify the best practices from various Boards

and evolve a common evaluation system. The government is now focusing on

solving the difference in the marking systems adopted by the various Boards

making it difficult for students from some Boards to gain admission into Junior

colleges. In fact, a (Hindustan Times 2008, June 2008 p4) move is a foot in the state

to actually reserve 90 percent of admission into the Junior colleges for students from

the SSC Board (irrespective of merit) (Hindustan Times 2009, June 2010 p1).

Reduce the gap in curriculum in the present era, where in skill development and

application of the learnt knowledge is equally important to soft skills in students.

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Different Boards local, national or autonomous all need to produce self-sufficiency

in students to meet the present requirement of globalization. It is also important for

the local and national Boards to compete with the international Board standards and

speedup work to reduce the gap in the curriculum. Now is the time country needs to

evolve a long term strategy to improve our education system by combining the best

from the various Boards, in order to turn out students into future citizens who will

have the characteristics that an emerging society expects of them. However there is

a general feeling that stratification of students has happened due to the different

Board schools they attend. Inequality and injustice that the students face after

schooling with regards to the percentile matter for the admission criteria at the

junior college and this has created commotion in the minds of the parents and

students for the past few years. To bring up the competency level in the students and

the appropriate outcome of the curriculum of various Boards, we need to understand

the functions of all the existing Boards

International Baccalaureate (IB)

The first International Baccalaureate Board School was authorized in 1976 in India.

There are 97 IB World Schools in India offering one or more of the three IB

programs the IB Diploma Program (IBDP), the Middle years program (MYP) and

the Primary years program (PYP). The International Baccalaureate Board schools

focus on professional development and aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable

and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world

through intercultural understanding and respect. The IB program is more practical

and application-based. It has a broader spectrum of subjects that leads to all-round

development. IB examinations test students' knowledge, not their memory and

speed. The focus of the IB pedagogy is on 'how to learn' rather than 'what to learn'.

All subjects are assessed using both internal and external assessors. Each exam

usually consists of two or three papers.The grading of all external assessments is

done by independent examiners appointed by the IB. The internal assessment (IA)

may be oral presentations, practical work or written works. The purpose of IB is to

produce global citizens. The IB curriculum is more challenging in terms of the

quality of assignments, not in the amount of work assigned.

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International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)

IGCSE Board offers a wider range of subjects and encourages high academic

standards through a practical approach to teaching and learning. It provides a broad

and flexible study program and covers subjects from a variety of areas: Languages,

Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Creative, Technical and Vocational. The

assessments are not just written they include a variety of tests like oral tests or even

grading’s based on overall achievement. A practical approach is used to assess the

students. The grades are allocated to students based on their overall performance

and they may vary from A+, A to G, where A+ is considered to be extraordinary

performance and G would stand for Failure.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

The Board conducts two examinations – All India Secondary School Examination,

AISSE (Class X) and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination, AISSCE

(Class XII). CBSE board was set up in India in 1962. The number of schools

affiliated to CBSE is 12368 as on 12/01/12. CBSE has in recent years been very

proactive in devising new courses that are academic with a vocational slant. It is

more responsive to the needs of a dynamically changing pedagogical scenario. The

NCERT connection makes it a very pro-active education Board and not just an

examining body. These schools also focus a lot on the extracurricular activities most

of which are compulsory thus assuring an overall growth of the child. The CBSE

Board has taken a huge step forward by giving students the option do away with

‘Board exam’. Besides reducing stress, it has shifted emphasis on learning rather than

scores. The curriculum is very good when it comes to general knowledge and general

subjects. It allows the kids to experience subjects without going deep into them thus

helping them to choose the focus after X. CBSE has well-networked state-and

national-level sports (both indoor and outdoor) activities.

Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE)

CISCE or Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination is similar to AISSE

conducted by the CBSE. Its (CISCE’s) equivalent for AISSCE is the Indian School

Certificate or ISC. The CISCE was set up in 1956. 1785 schools are affiliated to

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ICSE all over India as on 31/03/2012. The ICSE Board helps the student with a lot of

confidence building as there is great focus on language and literature. The curriculum

is very good when it comes to general knowledge and general subjects. One

important distinguishing feature in ICSE syllabus is the importance given to projects.

Projects are very important and they form the basis of marking scheme in the

performance of the student. This makes the student extremely active and it improves

his thinking ability.

Secondary School Certificate (SSC)

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary Education was set up on 1st January

1966 with the purpose of regulating secondary education in the state of

Maharashtra. 13,835 schools are affiliated to SSC Board as on 31/03/2000. The

main objectives of the SSC Board is to support and enhance the national system of

common school education structure in the State of Maharashtra by providing

uniform curriculum, common text books, examination and academic innovations

with a flexible scheme of studies suitable to the needs of students based on NCERT

innovations in the field of secondary and higher secondary education. SSC is

equivalent to GCSE in England. State Boards are comparatively limited in the

content and subjects as compared to other Boards. The syllabus is easier and hence

less stressful to the students. The State language is compulsory. It offers hassle free

admission process and an easy access and added advantages in admission to

colleges. Education is comparatively less expensive than any other Board.

Due to the presence of so many Boards another problem faced is about the

percentile issue which is periodically handled by the authorities. There are a lot of

changes in the examination pattern like the Continuous and Comprehensive

Education (CCE) of students that has replaced marks with grades. Cumulative

Grade Point Average (CGPA) to reduce stress and pressure of examination for the

students of the CBSE Board, reinstated Board examination with school-based

assessment and introduced monitoring and mentoring scheme for implementation of

CCE. This has been a baby step towards doing away with the Board examination

altogether. Students were offered a choice of whether or not to appear for the Board

examination. All the Boards are working towards the plans to do away with the

Board examination; and have chosen to make this transition in a gradual and phased

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manner rather than imposing the system on the students and their parents. Keeping

in mind the best of five policy for junior college admissions in Maharashtra, the

ICSE Board has taken a new move with good intention of including an extra subject

for the class X students. So that the students of the ICSE Board do not face an

unhealthy competitive advantage with the students of the other Boards (TOI, Jan 11,

pg 7). Examination result will be based more on the internal assessment as the

student is continuously assessed in the class room; hence the rules, regulations and

transformations made by the Boards have their own advantages that benefit the

student in the long run. Hence the study of Boards and its curriculum needs to be

dealt with the manner by which ambiguities can be avoided.

1.3 CURRICULUM

The Education System is rallying around a call to prepare students for the 21st

century; every Board is embarking on large-scale school reform and providing

flexible curriculum so that students can pursue their individual interests and

ambitions. The new "core" of the curriculum reduces focus on academic study,

emphasizing vocational and career-related development, particularly in the areas of

technology, mathematics, science, problem solving, critical thinking, literacy and

communication. The value of nurturing student’s self-direction and self-reliance as

learners and of accommodating students' need to integrate and make personal sense

of their learning changed expectations as to how teachers were to "deliver" the

curriculum.

The key phrases on the curricular agenda is to make schools more equitable for all

the diverse student populations, more successful in preparing future citizens for the

work environment, and more accountable to its stakeholders. In the opinion of the

Secondary Education Commission, the schools must work towards the holistic

development of the child: an all-round development of his physical, social, aesethic

and emotional qualities. The schools today should concern itself not only with the

intellectual (cognitive domain) process but also with the emotional and social

development of the child (affective domain), his physical and mental health

(psychomotor domain), his social adjustment and other equally important aspects of

development in his life. The ultimate goal of all the Boards and the whole education

system should be essentially to instil value in the students and produce good and

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productive human beings and also to face the dual challenges of globalization by

equipping students with the new knowledge, skills and values needed to be

competitive in a global market while at the same time producing graduates who are

responsible adults, good citizens both of their country and of the world. Thus

globalisation challenges us to rethink not only how much education is needed but

also its ultimate purposes. With the influence of globalization all the aspects of

teaching and learning have to be shaped which would require a wide range of ability,

preparedness, background, opportunity and motivation of students to achieve a more

varied and holistic approach to learning.

1.3.1 Characteristics of a good curriculum

A good curriculum works towards achieving all round development in the students

in terms of enhancing the intellectual quotient (IQ), emotional quotient (EQ) and the

creative quotient (CQ) in the students. A good curriculum framework augments its

competitive edge by refining the school structure, environment, and pedagogy. The

ultimate goal of curriculum is to bring about changes so that a better instructional

design can be created for quality teaching. Curriculum fosters the development of

attitude and skills required for future prospects of teachers and students. A

curriculum that is dynamic and forward looking is adequate for developing both the

capacity and the capability building in the students which gives them the scope to

become explorer, real and imaginative which leads to the development of

differentiated curriculum. A good curriculum aims at bringing about an intelligent

and effective adjustment with the environment itself. Further, it enables the student

to acquire relevant scientific information of subsequent use in the significant areas

of human living. A worthy curriculum is psychologically sound and takes into

account the theories of learning relevant to teaching. Incorporating geographical

difference in it is another innovation. It provides sufficient scope for the cultivation

of knowledge, skills, interest, attitudes and appreciations. It allows the students to

have first-hand experiences of all the significant areas of living by means of

newness, novelty, challenge, stimulation and creativity.

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Holistic Education

Holistic Education is a multi-leveled experiential journey of discovery, expression

and mastery where all students and teachers learn and grow together. It is a quest for

understanding and meaning. Its aim is to nurture healthy, whole, curious learners

who can learn whatever they need to know in any new context. Holistic education

recognizes the innate potential of every student for intelligent, creative, systemic

thinking. Holistic Curriculum is inquiry driven, interdisciplinary and integrated, and

is based on explicit assumptions of interconnectedness, wholeness and multi-

dimensional being. It recognizes that all knowledge is created within a cultural

context and that the "facts" are seldom more than shared points of view. It

encourages the transfer of learning across academic disciplines. A holistic

curriculum encourages learners to critically approach the cultural, moral and

political contexts of their lives. Holistic Learning is organized around relationships

within and between learners and their environment while empowering learners to

live fully in the present and to co-create preferred futures. It is concerned with the

growth of every person's intellectual, emotional, social, physical, artistic, creative

and spiritual potentials. It actively engages students in the teaching/learning process

and encourages personal and collective discernment and responsibility. It seeks to

open the mind, warm the heart and awaken the spirit and prepare students for life. It

is time we gave up our obsession with marks that comes at the expense of a child's

well- being. Education should lay equal emphasis on cognitive aspects as well as

emotional aspects; education or holistic education to be more appropriate should

prepare the students for life. Schools should customize and make their curriculum

more lively and engaging for their students. Every child is different, with his own

interests, needs and dreams. To help each and every one of them realize their full

potential. The education system needs to be strengthened by introducing greater

diversity and customization into the curriculum. At the same time, strategies are put

in place by the teachers to build on the strong foundations of the existing system, to

maintain the high standards through their instructional strategies.

Role of the Teacher in instructional transaction

Today, the role of the teacher has undergone dramatic transformation. The children

no longer depend upon their teachers or parents to know what is going on in the

world. Thanks to the Internet, many children are much better informed than their

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teachers or parents. They are reading, blogging, sharing views, searching and

exploring information on the Internet. Students are much more tech savvy than

their teachers with social media application getting them glued to the laptops or

desktops. The teachers should accept the fact that many students do not need their

teachers to tell them what is in the textbooks. They want their teachers to be

informative and analytical through a dialogue between the teachers and the

students. As the basic task of a teacher in the changing scenario is to sustain the

interest of the students in studies, the teaching approaches need to be informal

going beyond the classrooms. Today's teacher has to accept the challenge of

teaching something new to this tech savvy generation that knows a lot and has

access to information. The traditional ways of teaching will not work with the new

generation; innovative methodologies need to be evolved if these students are to

attain their potential. Those teachers, who fail to evolve in tune with the needs of

this generation, are bound to feel frustrated.

1.4 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY

Education has always played a crucial role in the society; it disseminates knowledge,

provides necessary skills and helps in forming certain attitudes. The statement that

there are many fanatics in education is not without some truth. A fanatic is one who

having lost sight of his goals, redoubles its efforts in context to running parallel

Boards with different curriculum and evaluation system. The vast difference in the

curriculum and the assessment pattern of the various Boards adds on to the pressure

on the students. With each Board having its own syllabus, teaching learning, co-

curricular and extracurricular activities and its own pattern of assessment and no

mechanism to ascertain the standard.

The different school Boards across the country have only added to the commotion to

the admission of students in between the school years and after completion of

schooling. As a solution, Common Entrance Test and standard pattern of curriculum

is being considered by the Central body of school education. In the present study the

researcher is attempting to throw light on the possibilities of standard curriculum by

means of evaluating the present curriculum of the CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards.

Also the study will help us to understand if Boards keep up with the global standards

and suggest measures for improvement in the present curriculum. Therefore the study

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is designed so as to understand the various Boards in terms of achieving Educational

objectives.

The present research study is intended to:

• To understand the extent to the curriculum of various Boards align with the

objectives of the NCF.

• To check if the educational objectives are aligned with Blooms taxonomy.

• To provide equal opportunity for all the students keeping in view rural, suburban

and urban areas.

• To suggest for the all-round development of the students through curriculum

transaction.

• To reduce the confusion created in the minds of the parents while selecting the

Board during admission.

• To understand the level of skill development in students.

• To make education an enjoyable experience for all the students of varied socio

economic background

• The reduce problems in the admission procedure due to the transfer cases.

• To reduce vagueness and increase precision in achieving educational objectives.

• To collect viewpoints of school educators to understand the requirements and

effectively achieve the objectives of secondary education.

The study is expected to encourage school Boards to review their curriculum to suit

changing needs of the society. Education plays a pivotal role in preparing

individuals for the changing trends in society and the world at large. Hence it is

mandatory that the systems undergo periodic scrutiny in themselves and in

comparison of the other Boards. The study is also likely to encourage schools to

introduce newer teaching learning and evaluation patterns. The research is expected

to throw light on the all-round development of students that need to be nurtured

along with the curriculum academic achievement of students. Boards could conduct

in service training programs that would familiarize school teachers with recent

trends followed by their contemporaries elsewhere.

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The study is likely to enable policy maker to review existing curriculum and

syllabus in order to introduce positive changes and enable Boards to implement

these. They could also update content and other activities to fill up the lacunae. The

study is likely to provide guidelines for textbook writers to introduce newer focuses

by introducing situations that promote learning by doing. They could also encourage

achieving holistic development in the students through the curriculum. The study is

likely to enable parents of standards to select schools of their preference and also

indirectly to influence the introduction of modified curricula to suit changing needs

and expectations. The study is expected to encourage, based on the findings future

research to identify individual factors in the school system that promote all round

development in students. This will provide further impetus to implement changes in

the existing systems. The study is likely to bring reforms in the curriculum and

developing policies to accomplish goals and objectives outlined by the National

Advisory body. Periodically studies of such nature of monitoring the existing

system will ensure an efficient & effective achievement of educational objectives.

Scientific base to any study helps in identifying and bridging the gaps of a system in

a systematic and authentic manner. Finally in an indirect benefit to society at large,

the findings of the study are expected to help to justify their preference for a

particular Board.

1.5 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The word ‘school’ all over the country by and large refers to classes I to X,

extending to class XII in some states while in other states classes XI and XII are

regarded as Junior college. Some schools also include two to three years of pre-

school classes. The breaking up of schooling into four stages extends far beyond

mere administrative convenience from the point of view of curriculum design and

teacher preparation. These stages have a developmental validity. Secondary school

is a period of intense physical change and identity formation for the student. It is

also a period of intense vibrancy and energy. The ability for abstract reasoning and

logical thinking emerges, allowing children the possibility of deep engagement with

both understanding and generating knowledge. A critical understanding of the self

in relation to society also emerges during this period. The courses at this level

generally aim at creating awareness of the various disciplines and introduce students

to the possibilities and scope of study in them. Through such engagement, they also

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discover their own interest and aptitude and begin to form ideas on what course of

study and related work they might like to pursue later. Hence the Secondary stage is

the most crucial stage of school education as the students reach this stage after a

certain level of maturity and thus there is a need to provide learners with sufficient

practical training and conceptual background. This will make them competent to

meet the challenges of the society and the world depending on the school and Board

of Education selected by the child.

Presently there are several Boards of National and International level which impart

education in conventional to high-tech manner. Every Board has developed its own

system of education to express and promote its unique socio-cultural identity and

also to meet the challenges of the times. For the present study three Boards have

been considered for understanding the curriculum transaction.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) - The Central Board of Secondary

Education (abbreviated CBSE) is the Board of Education for the public and private

schools, under the Central Government of India. It is a recognized Board and its

syllabus incorporates the national curriculum as well as additional subject matter.

The curriculum is set by National Council of Educational Research

and Training (NCERT).

Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) - The Indian Certificate of

Secondary Education (ICSE) is the Board of Education conducted by the Council for

the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental Board of

school education in India. It was established by the University of Cambridge Local

Examinations Syndicate. The council conducts an all India exam for Class 10 called

ICSE (Indian Certificate for Secondary Education) and for class 12 called the Indian

School Certificate (ISC).

Secondary School Certificate (SSC) - The Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher

Secondary Education Board is a statutory and autonomous body established under

the Maharashtra Secondary Boards Act 1965 (amended in 1977). The Maharashtra

State of Secondary Education came into existence on January 1, 1966 to regulate

certain matters pertaining to secondary education in the state of Maharashtra, India.

The Board provides guidelines to the schools right from Grade 1 to XII.

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Aspects of curriculum

Each of these Boards have developed their own system of education and offer its

students with an opportunity to extend and deepen their education as they build their

portfolio of qualifications which recognizes their learning, enables them to continue

to develop skills and offers pathways to the next stage and meet the challenges of the

times. Curriculum is the most important whichever Board the school follows as it

helps in shaping the future of the students, trains them and develops their skills not

only for their personal life but also for their professional life. Education system has

provided each Board with the freedom to follow their own curriculum imparting

education through technology and different instructional strategies. Each Board

emphasizes the different aspects of the curriculum in a different manner and at a

different level.

Syllabus

The curriculum includes the syllabus in school, the content, method and objectives

are the fundamental elements of a syllabus. A subject-based approach in organizing

the curriculum is followed, which helps in gaining knowledge through text books,

along with associated rituals of examinations to assess, knowledge acquisition and

marks become the way of judging competence in the subject area. If the syllabus is

vast and moves beyond the teaching capacity of the teachers, they begin to rush

through the content with tedious methodology and deviate from achieving its

objectives.

Teaching Learning

The success dynamics for the students of the 21st Century demand that the

curriculum should not lock the students in the world of books but inculcate learning

in the real world with real experiences and this can be provided through varied

teaching learning strategies. Teaching learning pedagogies selected by each Board

should be in consideration that each student learns in a different manner. This

means that if the teacher chooses just one style of teaching (direct instruction,

collaborative learning, inquiry learning, etc.), the students will not be maximizing

their learning potential. The teaching learning strategies followed vary from Board

to Board and some of them still follow the traditional teacher centred lecture method

and believe that the best learner is the one who can reproduce by memorization.

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Some Boards provide a higher level of teaching learning by introducing ITC. The

teaching methodology also depends on the efforts that the teacher puts in and the

profile of teachers recruited by each Board as each Board has its own criteria of

selection in terms of the salary, qualification and years of experience which also has

an impact on the students and their learning experiences.

Remedial Coaching

Remedial Coaching is offered to students who need assistance as they function at a

lower than average level because of a certain learning or behavioural disorder.

Remedial teaching is offered at many schools depending on the Board they follow.

Some Boards provide writers for the children who have dysgraphia, extra time or a

reader for children who have dyslexia and a calculator for children who suffer from

dyscalculia. Structure systematic remedial coaching can lead to enhancement in

students performance. However, a Board is allowed to establish its own priorities

and is not obliged to offer Remedial Coaching, although the directives and rules are

laid down by the Ministery of Education.

Co-curricular Activities

Co-Curricular Activities like debate, art and craft, quiz, instrumental music, clay

modeling, personality development, dramatics, dance, skating, yoga & meditation

which form an integral part of schools affiliated to certain Boards as these activities

help to develop self-confidence and self-esteem of the students. Students involved

in co-curricular activities are able to extend and enrich learned academic skills

through competitions and real-world simulations. Co-curricular activities provide

the students with an opportunity to reflect their diverse interest that leads to all

round development in them.

Extra-curricular activities

Extra-curricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the

realm of the normal curriculum of school. Some Boards focus more on the extra-

curricular activities like basketball, baseball, gymnastics, tennis, aerobics,

volleyball, theater, music, dance, painting, photography, creative writing etc. as they

understand the influence that the extra-curricular activities have on the students’

lives. These activities are not solely about what the score is but they provide and

instruct students with lessons that will last them a lifetime. Extra-curricular

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activities can empower students to make their own decisions and help them gain

vital experience and skills to lead them on the path to their future by enhancing a

sense of team spirit and belonging, personal pride and an understanding of the value

of fair play, an increased sense of honesty and trustworthiness.

Assessment Pattern

Assessment is yet another aspect of curriculum which provides information about

the student’s progress. It is the process of determining the extent to which an

objective is being attained in the class and the manner in which the goals of

education are accomplished. But today the general concern has been the ill effects

that the examinations have on the efforts to make learning and teaching meaningful

and joyous for children. Though some Boards have taken cognizance of this issue

and started with objective test and comprehensive continuous evaluation and made a

shift from the marking to the grading system. A good evaluation and examination

system can become an integral part of the learning process and benefit the learners.

The maintenance of good educational program and the improvement of educational

procedures require a good evaluation and good evaluation in turn can only be made

in relation to the goals of instruction. At every stage in the learning process

evaluation is needed to discover the extent of the effectiveness of the experiences

with a view to bring about desired change in the student. It must form an integral

part of teaching because it is continuous process related to the total learning

situation. Therefore one can say that there is a close relationship between objectives,

learning experience and evaluation.

Objectives of National Curriculum Framework

The demand for more experiential, outside learning opportunities is the need of the

hour. As there is widening of the credibility gap that exists between what is taught in

the schools and what children learn from direct experience in the outside world. To

achieve the same, The National Policy on Education (NPE) was adopted by the

Parliament in May 1986 which proposed the National Curriculum frame work (NCF)

as a means of evolving a national system of education. Curricular reform processes

initiated by NCERT in November, 2004 led to the formulation of NCF-2005 and 21

position papers on themes related to curricular areas. In NCF opinion, learning has

become a source of burden and stress on children and their parents is an evidence of a

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deep distortion in education aims and quality. To correct this distortion, to plan and

pay attention to systematic matters the following has been given at most

consideration by the NCF:

(i) Connecting knowledge to life outside the school

(ii) Ensuring that learning shifts away from rote methods

(iii) Enriching the curriculum so that it goes beyond text books

(iv) Making examinations more flexible and integrating them with classroom life

(v) Nurturing an overriding identity in formed by caring concerns within the

democratic polity of the country.

NCF recommended the softening of the subject boundaries so that children can get a

taste of integrated knowledge and the joy of understanding. It also felt an urgent need

to find ways and means to develop a curriculum for the all-round development of

students to ensure the achievement of educational objectives. NCF stated that a new

approach is urgently needed for curriculum construction and change, as summed up

below:

(a) Curriculum development must be seen as an integral and continuing part of

educational development policies and educational planning.

(b) A piece meal approach to the several disciplines within the curriculum is no

longer adequate and an overall approach to the problem of curriculum

development is now needed.

(c) In consequence, member countries should regard curriculum development as a

continuing function which requires the appropriate national permanent

mechanisms to deal with it.

Moreover we need to understand that the various Boards involved in developing the

curriculum are following the above given criteria and fulfilling the basic objective of

education of enabling the children to make sense of life and develop their potential.

But in the present scenario there is commotion about the admission due to the

examination pattern and difference in quality and standard of education being

imparted by different Boards. A section or a group of students are deprived of

appropriate and effective education, moreover it is required that we provide quality

and uniform education to all the students as quality is not merely a measure of

efficiency, it has a value dimension. The attempt to improve the quality of education

will succeed only if the objectives outlined by the Education commission from time

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to time are properly adhered to. Multiplicity of subsystems and least adherence to the

objectives by different types of school Boards tend to have a detrimental effect on

the overall quality of the education system. It is therefore desirable to periodically

monitor and evaluate the curriculum so as to evolve a curriculum to meet with the

goals of education system that is holistic development or all round development of

the students. It is also required that the students belonging to the different Board

schools study on the similar line of curriculum so as to improve the overall quality of

learning and enriches the school ethos.

1.6 Bloom's Taxonomy and All-Round Development

For education to remain a nurturing experience for students irrespective of the Board

they select concrete steps are needed to make teaching a means of harnessing the

child’s creative nature. A fundamental change is required in the matter of the school

curriculum, and also the system of examination which forces children to memorize

the information and reproduce. Educational objectives become meaningful only

when it is stated in terms of learning outcomes. A taxonomic frame work of

educational objectives is used to define a large number of loosely defined terms and

concepts such as scientific method, reasoning, appreciation, knowledge,

understanding etc. and to reduce the vagueness in the field of education. In case of

curriculum development Bloom’s taxonomy is universally accepted and very

popularly used as a common scale for defining the boundaries of educational

objectives, as it is very comprehensive and follows logical reasoning.

Bloom's 'Taxonomy of Educational Objectives' was initially published in 1956 under

the leadership of American academic and educational expert for an academic

context, whose aim was to develop a system of categories of learning behaviour to

assist in the design and assessment of educational learning in schools. Taxonomy

means 'a set of classification principles'. Bloom's Taxonomy underpins the classical

'Knowledge, Attitude, Skills' structure of learning method and evaluation. Bloom's

Taxonomy has been expanded over many years by Bloom and other contributors

notably Anderson and Krathwhol as recently as 2001, whose theories extend Bloom's

work to far more complex levels and more relevant to the field of education.

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Interestingly, at the outset, Bloom believed that education should focus on 'mastery'

of subjects and the promotion of higher forms of thinking, rather than a utilitarian

approach to simply transferring facts. He also demonstrated that most teaching

tended to be focused on fact-transfer and information recall the lowest level of

training rather than true meaningful personal development, and this remains a

central challenge for educators and trainers in modern times.

Bloom's Taxonomy model is in three parts, or 'overlapping domains'.

• Cognitive domain (intellectual capability, i.e., knowledge, or 'think' )

• Affective domain (feelings, emotions and behaviour, i.e., attitude, or 'feel')

• Psychomotor domain (manual and physical skills, i.e., skills, or 'do' )

Bloom Taxonomy provides a useful perspective for all three domains, and the

concept of developing competence by stages in sequence. Fig 1: shows the various

components of the educational objectives designed by Bloom’s to achieve all- round

development in students.

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Fig 1: Blooms Taxonomy Model to achieve all-round development in students

1.6.1 Cognitive Domain

Bloom's (and his colleagues') initial attention was focused on the 'Cognitive

Domain', which was the first published part of Bloom's Taxonomy, featured in the

publication: 'Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Handbook 1, The Cognitive

Domain' (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, Krathwohl, 1956). The Cognitive domain

focuses on the intellectual skills. It is used to describe the increasing complexity of

cognitive skills as students move from beginner to more advance in their knowledge

of content. The cognitive domain is the core learning domain. Bloom identified six

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levels within the cognitive domain, from the simple recall or recognition of facts, as

the lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to

the highest order which is classified as evaluation. Intellectual activity of each level

is listed below.

1. Knowledge: The student recalls the data or the information learned.

2. Comprehension: Understand the meaning, translation and interpretation of

instructions and problems. State a problem in one's own words.

3. Application: Use a concept in a new situation or unprompted use of an

abstraction. Applies what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in

the work place to solve the problem.

4. Analysis: Separates material or concepts into component parts so that its

organizational structure may be understood. Distinguishes between facts and

inferences. Identification of logical errors and draws relations among ideas and to

compare and contrast.

5. Synthesis: Builds a structure or pattern from diverse elements. Put parts together

to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure. Requires

production of something unique or original. At this level, student is expected to

solve unfamiliar problems in unique way, or combine parts to form a unique or

novel solution.

6. Evaluation: Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials. Requires the

formation of judgments and decisions about the value of methods, ideas, people

and products.

1.6.2 Affective Domain

The Affective Domain' (Bloom, Masia, Krathwohl) as the title implies, deals with

the detail of the second domain, the 'Affective Domain', and was published in the

'Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Handbook II in 1964. Like the cognitive

domain, the affective domain is hierarchical with higher levels being more complex

and depending upon mastery of the lower levels. With movement to more

complexity, one becomes more involved, committed, and self-reliant.

1. Receiving Phenomena: Student is expected to be aware of or to passively attend

to certain stimuli or phenomena. Simply listening and being attentive are the

expectations.

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2. Responding to Phenomena: Active participation on the part of the

learners. Attends and reacts to a particular phenomenon. Learning outcomes

may emphasize compliance in responding, willingness to respond, or

satisfaction in responding (motivation).

3. Valuing: The worth or value a person attaches to a particular object,

phenomenon, or behaviour. This ranges from simple acceptance to the more

complex state of commitment. Valuing is based on the internalization of a set of

specified values, while clues to these values are expressed in the learner's overt

behaviour and are often identifiable.

4. Organization: Organizes values into priorities by contrasting different values,

resolving conflicts between them, and creating an unique value system. The

emphasis is on comparing, relating, and synthesizing values.

5. Internalizing values (characterization): Has a value system that controls their

behaviour. The behaviour is pervasive, consistent, predictable, and most

importantly, characteristic of the learner. Instructional objectives are concerned

with the student's general patterns of adjustment (personal, social, emotional).

1.6.3 Psychomotor Domain

Various people suggested detail for the third 'Psychomotor Domain', which explains

why this domain details varies in different representations of the complete Bloom

Taxonomy. The three most popularly referenced versions of the Psychomotor

Domain seem to be those of RH Dave (1967/70), EJ Simpson (1966/72), and AJ

Harrow (1972). Psychomotor behaviors are performed actions that are

neuromuscular in nature and demand certain levels of physical dexterity.

1. Imitation — Observing and patterning behaviour after someone else.

Performance may be of low quality. These behaviours may be crude and

imperfect. The expectation that the individual is able to watch and then

repeat an action.

2. Manipulation — Being able to perform certain actions by following

instructions and practicing. Performance of an action with written or

verbal directions but without a visual model or direct observation. The

action may be performed crudely or without neuromuscular coordination

at this stage.

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3. Precision — Refining, becoming more exact. Few errors are apparent.

Example: Working and reworking something, so it will be “just right.”

Learner is expected to reproduce an action with control and to reduce

errors to a minimum.

4. Articulation — Requires the display of coordination of a series of related

acts by establishing the appropriate sequence and performing the acts

accurately, with control as well as with speed and timing

5. Naturalization — Having high level performance become natural, without

needing to think much about it. The behaviour is performed with the least

expenditure of energy, becomes routine, automatic, and spontaneous.

Bloom's Taxonomy has provided a basis for ideas which have been used since 1956

and developed around the world by academics, educators, teachers and trainers, for

the preparation of learning evaluation materials. Collectively these concepts which

make up the whole Bloom Taxonomy continue to be useful and very relevant in the

planning and designing of school education. Therefore School Boards involved in

the designing of curriculum, teaching learning or evaluation of teaching, learning

and lesson plans should use Bloom's Taxonomy as a template, framework or simple

checklist to ensure the most appropriate teaching and learning in order to develop

the all-round development in students. Bloom Taxonomy rationalizes that the

learner should benefit not only from the development of knowledge and intellect

(Cognitive Domain); but also the attitude and beliefs (Affective Domain); and the

ability to put physical and bodily skills into effect (Psychomotor Domain).

Therefore the total development, as Gandhiji says the development of the Head,

Heart and Hand. Researcher focuses on all the aspects of development, rationalizes

and justifies the development of the student from the lower level to the higher level

of complexities to achieve all round development in the students through the

Blooms Taxonomy.

It is of utmost need that a research of this kind be conducted across Boards so as to

understand if they respond to the objectives of curriculum by the National

Curriculum Framework and classified based on the Blooms Taxonomy. The

government also announced plans for setting up a National Institute for Assessment,

which would evaluate the curriculum, examination system and education standards

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at the school level and suggest measures to improve them. Researcher feels that it is

of importance for the overall development of students to gain knowledge and

vocational training through the school curriculum instead of just rote learning and

memorizing. Researcher also believes that the school curriculum can develop the

student’s capabilities and skills of understanding and has the ability to enhance

innovation and creativity in students. In view of all the above it is of prime

importance that the curriculum needs to be handled very carefully as it makes an

impact on the students overall development across Boards. Researcher strongly

believes that this kind of analysis of Curriculum will help to characterize and

understand the best practices of the curriculum. This can help Boards in framing

proper syllabi, textbooks and learning resources and to adopt the best curriculum

transactional practices to enable the teachers to plan for the all-round development

of the students and the gradual cumulative enhancement of abilities, competencies

and concepts. The following diagram (fig. 2) shows the importance of each aspect

of the Curriculum towards the development of the Cognitive, Affective and the

Psychomotor Domain.

Fig 2: Aspects of the curriculum to achieve all round development in the

students.

Hence for the present study the objectives of Bloom’s taxonomy is used by the

researcher for critically analyzing the curriculum of CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards to

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understand how far it is able to achieve the all-round development in the students.

The curriculum of the various Boards will be evaluated in terms of syllabus, teaching

learning, remedial coaching activities, co-curricular activities, extracurricular

activities and the assessment pattern by means of school educator’s perception. As

teachers are the most important factor to accomplish the educational objectives hence

working towards generating views of school educators towards curriculum will help

to identify the gaps and enhance the quality of education and maintain the standard of

education throughout the country. It is therefore absolutely necessary to carry out a

study of this nature. It would also help to understand the manner in which the

curriculum is imparted by the various Boards and enable us to know the direction we

are heading in.

1.7 NEED OF THE STUDY

The researcher had designed study to understand the curriculum differences among

the CBSE, ICSE and the SSC Boards, identify the best practices followed by them.

The study was intended to explore the differences in the instructional strategies used

by the schools affiliated by respective Boards. The study focused mainly on the

education system which is diversified with various kinds of Boards and the way they

are trying to impart education in a specific manner. Keeping in view dissimilarity in

each Board based on the syllabus, teaching learning, remedial coaching, co-curricular

activities, extra-curricular activities and final assessment pattern, the study was

carried out to identify best practices followed in the curricular strategies and

activities by the school affiliated to various Boards. This kind of research based study

may help in formulating and understanding the need of standard pattern to provide

uniform educational opportunities for all round development of students.

The present research work is designed:

• To study the CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards in terms of the Syllabus aspect of the

curriculum.

• To study the CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards in terms of the Teaching Learning

aspect of the curriculum.

• To study the CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards in terms of the Remedial Coaching

aspect of the curriculum.

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• To study the CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards in terms of the Co-curricular

Activities aspect of the curriculum.

• To study the CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards in terms of the Extra-curricular

aspect of the curriculum.

• To study the CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards in terms of the Assessment pattern

aspect of the curriculum.

• Comparison of the study will help in understanding variations in the various

Boards.

• To study the best practices followed by the CBSE, ICSE and the SSC Board.

• To study the view of teachers as stakeholders as their contribution can help in

enhancement of curriculum and students.

• Suggestions will be given to the teachers that will assist in better instructional

strategies.

Situation and the trends of education are changing with different Boards operating

parallel in the city and confusing its stakeholders such as the parents, teachers and

students. Parents face a whole lot of trauma while deciding on to, not only which

school the child will study in but also which Board of education would be good for

their children. Teachers also have to face a lot of competition; each Board follows

different criteria of teaching learning process accompanied by a huge disparity in

their Curriculum structure. And our direct stakeholders, the students face a lot of

stress due to the changing policies and procedure. The ultimate common goal of all

the educational Board is the same but they all follow different directions to reach to a

common goal and hence we need to look into formulating a kind of curriculum so

that the students are not deprived of good quality Education. Right to Education in

the true sense will be implemented only when students will be given similar

curriculum, pattern of education, inclusive education and by inculcating creativity

and innovations. Careful designing and execution of the curriculum will provide

proper training to the student and this is possible by carrying out thorough critical

study. Through the present research work, the scientific data collected might help to

identify and bridge the gap in the system by the use of outcome of the study.

As school educators (principals, supervisors and teachers) are the sample for the

study, a general awareness among them can be created towards importance of their

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role in providing good quality education leading to total student development that

includes the skill development wherein the students of today can be the leaders of

tomorrow and become great entrepreneur, social development would help them

develop into socially responsible citizen of the nation. To fulfil our ultimate and

long term goal of producing total student development, we need to formulate a

curriculum on similar lines and to reduce the discrimination among the students

studying through different Boards and to provide better and good quality education

for all irrespective of the Board they study in.

A review of the available literature reveals that there are gaps in the research on all

round development in students of different schools by different Boards affiliation in

developing all round development. Very few researches have been done on

comparison of all-round development in students by different Boards. Very little

systematic attempt has been made to study these variable Cognitive, Affective and

Psychomotor domain by partialling out the academic and all round development.

The findings of the study will help in understanding the differences in the Boards and

their curriculum and suggesting to the policy makers’ effective areas of each Board.

This initiative is required to work towards building a curriculum which will ensure:

• Equal opportunities to all the students : Different Boards concentrate on

different developments in the students, some produce highly skilled and

knowledgeable students while the others produce theoretically strong students,

while some other Board may have only skilled end product. All the Boards

whatever they are, impart a particular type of education to a particular group of

students, hence some remain deprived of equal right and opportunity to

education.

• Overall Development of the student: Keeping in view equal right of education

to all students for skill, knowledge and information, it is essentially required that

we monitor the pattern of different Boards to confirm to what extent the

guidelines of Government are met to impart education for the overall

development of the student.

• Meet the Objectives of the Central Advisory body: With the difference in the

curriculum pattern of different Boards, we need to ensure that they match up with

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the objectives outlined by the Central Advisory body for the holistic development

of the student.

• Admission opportunity at par: Our education system is becoming more like an

examination system. Recently it has been planned to introduce a common

entrance test for seeking admission at higher level. To reduce the stress of an

additional exam to secure admission even though they have studied through

different Boards.

It is clear that major changes in our education system are required to cope with the

evolving needs of society. In essence, the issues we need to look at are- how

effective is our education system in providing for these needs? Are the differences

in the various Boards in achieving these? This research work attempts to answer

these questions by means of determining the extent to which all round development

of the students is achieved through the execution of various aspects of the

curriculum by the various Boards.

1.9 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

In order to improve the quality of education and to standardise the curriculum across

all Boards in the country, efforts have been made to transform the system for the last

many years some of which proved fruitful, whereas a lot of areas still need

improvement or attention. Uniformity in syllabus will help students when they appear

for national-level competitive examinations. This upgraded syllabus will iron out

many hurdles for students appearing for all-India level competitive examinations.

There might be some problems in the beginning, but standardisation is important to

avoid problems in future and to enhance the quality of education and to provide equal

educational opportunities for all. One such measure is evaluation of the curriculum of

the CBSE, ICSE and SSC Boards by seeking the views of concerned teachers. The

present study is based on the perception of the educators towards the all-round

development in the student through the Curriculum. This study will help to

accumulate views of principals, supervisors & teachers of various Boards and

difference in their views- Board-wise, gender-wise, experience-wise qualification-

wise, level-wise, location-wise and overall. Hence this kind of research based study

will help in formulating and understanding the difference in the curriculum of various

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Boards (CBSE, ICSE and SSC) for reducing commotions among the stakeholders

and promote all round student development.

1.10 CONCLUSION

Education should aim to develop the intellect of the learners. Education is not just a

tool to earn money to meet the ends; it is the way to liberate the mind and soul of a

person. The real product of a true education system is a rational mind which works

towards building an intellectual society. Education being the main source of human

capital can create wide social, emotional and income inequalities among students

within the same group of educated people. The traditional system of education is

content driven, examination oriented, rote learning focused. We need to find ways to

make the curriculum more challenging for our children and skill and application

oriented. Hence, it is imperative for the government to correct the blemishes in the

education system which will also be a step towards reducing inequality by working

towards a common Board. Government needs to seriously investigate in ways to do

way with the existing short comings of our educational preparation.

The last decade witnessed a paradigm shift in the way education is imparted, where

focus has been shifted from rote learning to innovative teaching pedagogies. Taking

this lead, Boards need to adopt an approach that takes learning beyond regular

academics, into the foray of extra-curricular activities. They need to go that extra mile

to foster the overall development of their students. Co-curricular and Extra-Curricular

Activities are not only fun-filled and entertaining but also necessary. They help teach

important life skills and enhance academic knowledge too. All these activities are

utterly intuitive and enjoyable. The teaching methodology should be student centric as

the children with different aptitudes and abilities study together. Teaching and learning

is a synthesis of knowledge, attitude and skills which are transdisciplinary make the

children lifelong learner equipped with the skill set required for the 21st century.

Teaching Learning should be concept driven and not content driven. Curriculum

should go way beyond accumulation of facts and develops a spirit of curiosity beyond

the realms of a traditional classroom. All round development is a bare necessity, since

bookish knowledge is of little help in the real world, while practicality and logic is an

imperative.

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