Common school syllabus, board not in child’s interest, CBSE tells Supreme Court

‘A child can better relate to a curriculum that is more closely related to his/ her life outside the school. Therefore, multiplicity of curricula and other educational resources is desirable’

The CBSE said the emphasis should be on “flexibility for the emphasis of local resources, culture and ethos”. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has objected to a plea in the Supreme Court for a uniform board and school curriculum, saying such a move does not take into account local context, culture and language, besides the power of individual States to frame their own syllabus, curriculum and conduct examinations for their schools.

The Board said the emphasis should be on “flexibility for the emphasis of local resources, culture and ethos”.

“A child can better relate to a curriculum that is more closely related to his/ her life outside the school. Therefore, multiplicity of curricula and other educational resources is desirable in addition to a core common element,” the CBSE underscored in its reply.

States’ power

The Board said ‘education’ was a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution.

A majority of schools are under the jurisdiction of the State governments. It is for the respective State/Union Territory governments to frame syllabus, curriculum and conduct examinations for their schools, the counter-affidavit said.

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF), developed by the NCERT as per the mandate of the National Policy on Education, sets the guidelines and direction for the development of syllabi and textbooks at all stages in schools. As a follow-up to the NCF, curriculum, syllabi, textbooks and other supplementary material are developed by the NCERT. The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs) and State Education Boards either adopt or adapt NCERT’s model syllabi and textbooks or develop their own syllabi and textbooks based on the NCF, the affidavit explained.

“NCERT prepares model syllabus and textbooks for school education… States and UTs have freedom to either adopt or adapt NCERT textbooks.”

The Board was responding to a writ petition filed by advocate A.K. Upadhyay, who argued that different syllabus and curriculum by the CBSE, ISCE and State Boards was arbitrary and contrary to the Constitution.

It had sought a direction to the Centre to implement a uniform education system (common syllabus and common curriculum in the mother tongue) up to Class 12.