Best curriculum in 2021
Which is the best curriculum for my children in 2021, remains debatable, relative, and subjective. As an educator by passion and profession, I am a citizen of the country which scores the 72nd rank in the 2020 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI).
Having the largest youth population in the world with 600 million people under the age of 25 years, my country, India, has one of the biggest schooling systems catering to over 250 million students.
You must be wondering that why I am reinforcing on these statistics!
What I aim to highlight here is the school going population of India. Majority of them are studying the national curriculum- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)- while for some the international curricula like the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) or the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum happens to be the desired choice.
Now, the question here is: ‘How important is it to look through the lens of the right choice of curriculum which resonates with the most demanding skillset for the coming decade’? It is true that curriculum is not just a design of concepts to be taught, rather a base to realise the true objectives of education in real life. Indeed, the essence of education is to impart knowledge, rather than creating test scores, grades, time table and promotion to the higher grades.
Being driven by the trend or the herd, CBSE often becomes the most regular curriculum choice. CBSE has its popularity in being an easy approach to study, designed according to the Indian competitive exams, flexible in inter-state transition, and giving an option of private candidacy for the exam.
However, in the process of qualifying as a competent curriculum choice with the international curricula, CBSE has come up with its New Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020). The new policy replaces the previous National Policy on Education, 1986.The Policy has opened up doors for making education more meaningful than just learning from the prescribed textbooks.
It aims to make channels of innovation in designing a student-centric approach to education through multiple pathways of learning. The NEP talks of transforming education to a progressive informal model where education would be flexible with open schools, vocational courses, and life-enrichment programs.
With regards to the policy in action, it is worth mentioning that the Union Budget 2021-22 has already set the ball rolling with the announcement to qualitatively strengthen 15,000 schools across India in implementing the NEP. While a few schools are adopting the hybrid model through the infusion of technology in pedagogy to shape up an advanced learning model, some are in the process, while some need an extra hand holding in implementing the change.
However, with the innovations being harnessed, many are apprehensive about whether it is the previous theoretical rote learning or new skill-based learning that would be the best-fit model to crack the Indian competitive exams. What I want to emphasize here is, the top competitive exams actually do not test the theoretical rote learning but the real-life application of problems.
Coming to the international programmes, it is visible that they are showing a sharp trend in growth. There are 185 IB world schools and 400 CAIE schools in India. 81% countries offer IB and 82 % countries offer CAIE across the world.
As an organization, over a period of 12 years, we have experienced and facilitated students who have made informed choices in opting for the CAIE or the IB. Very few students find the international curricula to be futuristic and a perfect match with their aptitude and attitude, for the students of this informative age, are very curious, love to question facts than simply believe what’s said, and challenge themselves.
Cambridge and International baccalaureate
The evaluative and practical approach to learning for IB makes the learners’ profile complete. Through the inculcation of problem-solving skills, students become open-minded, rational, intuitive, critical thinkers. With flexibility in varied choices of subject combinations like visual arts, global politics, information technology in a global society, social and cultural anthropology, film, theatre, music, dance; these areas of knowledge open up the bandwidth and horizon of learning, its knowledge framework, and perspectives to investigate and evaluate the outcomes of learning.
In fact, the statistic of 46,462 history takers in IBDP 2020 shows that ‘a so-called rote learning subject history’ happens to be the second most favorite and exciting subject for the IB candidates. This number is sheer proof that no subject is boring, it is the approach that can make it super interesting! You may also consider the reading ‘The difference between IB and AP‘
It feels good and proud to share that hundreds of our students whom I, myself, have mentored are alumni of NYU, University of California, Berkeley, University of Bath, NUS, University of Edinburgh Business School, Imperial College of London, and the list is on.. Guess this is where being educators we are evergreen because we get to ignite the spark in young minds, be surrounded with love, and create long-lasting memories every time to cherish. We feel liberated as mentors and learners when our own students pass out from the best of the best universities and share with us the knowledge gathered on socio-cultural global perspectives.
In a nutshell, what I can say is the right curriculum choice prepares a student in a smarter way with a strong sense of direction towards futuristic pathways and also molds the personality to become a responsible global citizen. However, whichever be the curriculum, we do our bit to handhold students in strengthening and personalizing learning patterns so as to make them realize ‘who they are and reflect upon the adoption of required life skills to make this world a better place.
