NCERT should have adopted an evidence-based approach: Expert group member Sridhar Rajagopalan

While the concept of foundational learning is not new in educational circles, this is very new from the perspective of Indian education and policy

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) should have adopted a more scientific, evidence-based approach to avoid the political controversy that arose due to its rationalization exercise, said Sridhar Rajagopalan, Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at Ei, or Educational Initiatives, and a member of NCERT's National Expert Group on Assessment of Elementary Education.

NCERT had erased certain chapters on the Mughal Empire from Class 12 history textbooks that came out in April this year. This move attracted severe criticism from various sections of society and the political arena.

Several academics who were part of committees that helped design and develop the older textbooks have objected to the cuts, terming them ‘irrational’, and asked that their names be removed from the print and digital editions of the books.

NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani had told Moneycontrol that the abridgement was done as part of a “rationalisation exercise, aimed at reducing content load” to help students make a “speedy recovery” from learning setbacks suffered during Covid-19.

“Both sides can be right here. There is sometimes a political agenda to these things, other times it can be completely non-political but being made to look like a political thing… It is more likely to be the second in this case,” Rajagopalan said, speaking with Moneycontrol.

As per him, had NCERT taken a more scientific, defensible, evidence-based approach, providing an apt justification for what they were doing, things would not have unfolded the way they did.

NEP's focus on foundational learning crucial

Speaking about the country’s revamped education policy, rolled out in 2020, Sridhar said that if implemented successfully, its focus on foundational learning will prove crucial for the Indian education system.

Foundational learning refers to a child’s ability to read simple sentences with meaning and solve basic maths problems by the end of Class 3 and has been given special importance in NEP or the New Education Policy.

While the concept of foundational learning is not new in educational circles, this is very new from the perspective of Indian education and policy, said Sridhar.

According to him, “The five foundational years starting from Nursery (age 3) to Class 2 (age 7) have now been defined as the first stage of a new 5+3+3+4 system. Earlier this stage came under the anganwadis (rural child care centres) which did not focus much on the educational aspects, which are very important. Some states have started or plan to start conducting simple reading assessments.”

The policy has made the structural change replacing the 10+2+3 format (which meant 10 years of school plus two years of higher secondary schooling along with three years of bachelors’ degree) with the 5+3+3+4 plan which enforces five years in the foundational stage (pre-Nursery to Class 2), three years in the preparatory stage (Class 3 to Class 5), three years in the middle stage (Class 6 through Class 8), and four years in the secondary stage (classes 8 to 12).

Rajagopalan added that while several changes are still in the pipeline, the focus is new and will dramatically increase the focus on children acquiring foundational skills.

“There is even a plan to change the age of entry throughout the country to age 6 for Class 1, which is good and desirable (many states start Class 1 at age 5), so this is another big change though still in the process of implementation,” he said.

Only if children “learn to read” will they be able to “read to learn”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said during his address at the Shikshak Parv on September 18, 2020, while prioritising foundational literacy—the ability to read with comprehension by Class 3.

The NEP, inaugurated in 2020, identified foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) as a critical prerequisite for schooling and education, thereby making it an “urgent national mission” and paving the way for NIPUN Bharat Mission (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy), which was launched in 2021.

Focused learning need of the hour

Such focused learning is the need of the hour. The recently released Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 indicates that only 20 percent of children in Grade III are able to read a basic Grade II text. For basic maths, this number goes up to 25 percent.

When it comes to India’s position internationally, the situation seems even more dire.

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an acclaimed competency evaluation that tests critical thinking in maths, science and reading for children up to 15 years of age. It is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and was first conducted in 2000.

India participated in the PISA test only once, in 2009, where students from Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu sat for the test. India ranked 72nd out of 73 countries. Since then, India has stayed away from the test.

“There is no doubt about the fact that India is not faring well. However, the focus being brought towards foundational learning via NEP is a step in the right direction and has become a key part of government policy,” Rajagopalan added.

“We hope that in the next five years, the ASER results will improve. The number should increase to over 50 percent by then and further to over 75 percent in the next 10 years. We should also see its impact on the economy as a whole as we make such a large change at the base, improving the quality of our people and in line the growth of our country,” he said.

“It is the results of Class 10h and Class 12 (board exams) that are generally paid attention to. Whereas educationists will tell you that the problem with the kid in Class 9 is that he doesn't know Class 4 stuff. With a focus on foundational learning, the impact on learning at all levels is expected to rise significantly,” he added.

As per him, the NCERT’s introduction of Jadui Pitara, where a domain expert explains things in a lucid and easy-to-grasp way, apart from training and support to teachers and focusing on oral reading fluency are all steps to take India to international standards of education in the long run.

“India needs to implement its education policy like it implemented its Pulse Polio campaign to achieve similar results,” he said.