Draft of New National Curriculum for School Level Underway: What Will It Include?
The task force formed in 2076 BS to revise the national curriculum framework for school level education has received extensive suggestions regarding subjects to be included in the upcoming curriculum. According to the task force coordinator, over 25,000 participants—including students, parents, and teachers—have proposed integrating topics addressing challenges such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and climate change adaptation. The Curriculum Development Centre stated that the new academic session will introduce a curriculum designed to bring a noticeably different experience to students. However, officials have noted that preparing textbooks aligned with the new national curriculum may take some time.
According to the Curriculum Development Centre, this marks the first attempt to amend the existing 2076 BS curriculum. The task force, led by Professor Balchandra Luintel and established in the past Baishakh, is actively working on the revisions.
The national curriculum serves as the principal guiding document for school education. Mahendra Parajuli, Executive Director of the Curriculum Development Centre, emphasized the need for timely updates to keep it relevant. “Societal and political changes over time have created the necessity to add new subjects to the curriculum. Due to climate change and disaster management concerns, children need to learn adaptive skills,” he said. The task force also explained that rapid advancements in information technology require corresponding inclusion in the curriculum.
Executive Director Parajuli explained that consultations took place at 51 locations across 28 districts in 7 provinces, interacting with over 25,000 individuals. Educational discussions, including those featuring the Education Minister, were held in districts such as Dhanusha, Siraha, Mahottari, and Saptari in the Madhesh Province. The team visited classrooms to assess implementation status and collect suggestions from key stakeholders—children and teachers alike. According to Luintel, provisions were also made for submitting suggestions online.
Both the task force and the Curriculum Development Centre report that a multitude of suggestions emerged during discussions and interactions. The key points recommended for inclusion in the curriculum are: climate change adaptation and disaster management, information technology, education on artificial intelligence (AI) and coding, ethical education and values, making the curriculum more flexible and practical, skills training, vocational knowledge, and entrepreneurship starting from the school level, campaigns like ‘Book Free’ and ‘Bagless Day,’ and topics related to teaching methodology and assessment.
One prominent suggestion during the consultations centered on creating learning environments tailored to children’s interests and skills under the ‘Book Free’ and ‘Bagless Day’ campaigns. Parajuli clarified, “This does not mean students just attend school without engaging in learning. Rather, learning takes place without textbooks. For example, if students learn how to connect electrical wires, they also gain knowledge about electricity safety.”
The task force has stated that after compiling all suggestions and conducting thorough discussions and interactions, a report will be prepared. “According to procedure, the national curriculum framework should be submitted by the month of Magh. If possible, it can be submitted one and a half months earlier,” said Luintel. After submission, the Curriculum and Evaluation Council chaired by the Education Minister must approve it.
“Once all procedures are completed by Chaitra, starting from Baisakh, the Curriculum Development Centre will form a working team to begin developing curriculum and related materials,” he added.