NCF Mandate Document Released by the Union Education Minister

Vinod Kakumanu
May 23, 2022, 10:14 a.m.

The Union Education Minister released the ‘Mandate Document’ for the development of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF)’ recently at a function held at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

The NCF is central to the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, and its development is being guided by a national steering committee along with the NCERT. The NCF is being developed to cover four main aspects – for school education (NCFSE), for early childhood care and education (NCFECCE), for teacher education (NCFTE), and for adult education (NCFAE).

The ‘mandate document’ guides the development of the NCF, and some of its important characteristics, as listed in the document, are –

Defining the process of development and characteristics of the NCF
Providing clear and specific guidelines for the NCF to the vision and approach of NEP2020
Setting the mechanism for the development of a comprehensive NCF, utilizing the detailed consultations already in progress
Ensuring seamless integration – both vertically (across stages) and horizontally (across subjects in each stage) – for a holistic, integrated and multi-disciplinary education
Enabling critical linkages between school curriculums and teacher education curriculum
Creating opportunities for life-long learning of all citizens of the country, and to empower and improve the reality of education practice
Outlining a step-by-step path from current reality to the ideal, and ensure real progress in education
Allowing multi-level consultations in every district of the country, with teachers, school principals, teacher educators, parents, community members, students and experts
Formation of more than 700 state-level expert groups in states and UTs across subjects and 25 national-level expert groups including international experts
Analysing all inputs rigorously, and use the best to be incorporated in the development of the NCF by the steering committee and the NCERT

The NCF has been revised four times in the past – in 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005, and this will be fifth revision of the framework. According to the ministry release, the new NCF is central to the implementation of the transformative NEP 2020 and will empower and enable outstanding learning in the country.