The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court against the proposal of one nation one education policy on the grounds that implementation of a uniform board or syllabus across India would not incorporate the local context, culture and language.
The Board, while noting that a child could relate better to a curriculum which was more closely related to his or her life outside the school, contended that the multiplicity of curricula and other educational resources was desirable in addition to a core common element.
Seeking dismissal of a petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, which proposed implementation of uniform syllabus and curriculum in schools throughout the country, the Board argued that the national framework worked on the concept of flexibility for the emphasis on local resources, culture and ethos.
It further submitted that education was a subject which fell under the Concurrent List of the Constitution.
Noting that a majority of schools in India were under the jurisdiction of state governments, the Board said it was for the respective state governments or Union Territory administrations to frame syllabus, curriculum and conduct examinations for their schools.
It said the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as per the mandate of the National Policy on Education (NPE) had set the guidelines and direction for the development of syllabi and textbooks at all school stages.
It said as a follow up to the NCF, curriculum, syllabi, text books and other supplementary material were developed by the NCERT.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs) and State Education Boards either adopted or adapted the NCERT’s model syllabi and textbooks or developed their own syllabi and textbooks based on NCF, it added.