The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is set to transform the education system in India by introducing major reforms in school and higher education. As part of these reforms, NEP 2020 recommends a shift from the 10+2 structure to the 5+3+3+4 structure in school education, which emphasises a developmental approach and suggests curricular and pedagogical shifts at different stages. The NEP 2020 also focuses on competency-based education, integrating cultural rootedness, equity and inclusion, multilingualism, experiential learning, and reducing content load.

To implement these recommendations, the Ministry of Education has initiated the development of four National Curriculum Frameworks, including NCF for School Education, NCF for Early Childhood Care and Education, NCF for Teacher Education, and NCF for Adult Education. The National Steering Committee, under the Chairpersonship of Dr. K. Kasturirangan, has been set up to guide the development of these frameworks.

To gather inputs for these frameworks, extensive public consultations were carried out in both face-to-face and digital modes, with more than 500 district-level consultations and more than 50 consultations with different ministries, religious groups, civil society organisations, NGOs, and universities. The feedback received from diverse stakeholders, including teachers, parents, students, and subject experts, endorsed the recommendations of NEP 2020 from all regions.

Taking into consideration these inputs, the Ministry of Education has launched the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage, and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education – Pre-Draft is also ready. The Ministry is soliciting feedback from students, parents, teachers, teacher educators, experts, scholars, and professionals on the various sections and recommendations of this NCF-School Education. It is important to note that this is a pre-draft of the NCF-SE and requires several rounds of discussion within the National Steering Committee. Feedback from diverse stakeholders will further help the NSC to critically evaluate different modalities and approaches proposed by the framework.