NCERT forms two panels to set Economics, Art syllabus

​New Delhi The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has constituted two new panels to develop the syllabus and teaching material for classes 3 to 12 for economics education under the chairmanship of Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, and for art education under the chairmanship of musician Shankar Mahadevan. Also read: NCERT forms 35-member panel to develop social science syllabus for classes 6-12

While the 14-member “Curriculum Area Group (CAG): Economics” will develop the syllabus and teaching material for Commerce, Accounts, Finance and Entrepreneurship, the 38-member “Curriculum Area Group (CAG): Art Education” will ensure the integration of Art Education across all subjects, notifications from NCERT said. Also read: NCERT panel recommends replacing ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in school textbooks

These two panels have been constituted in continuation of the 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) notified in July to finalise the curriculum, textbooks and learning material for these classes, NCERT said in two different notifications dated November 8. Besides these two new panels, NSTC has so far constituted curriculum area groups for innovative pedagogy, Indian Knowledge Systems, and social science.

Both Sanyal and Mahadevan are members of NSTC.

According to one of the NCERT notifications, the timeline for the development of the first draft of the textbooks for this CAG for Economics is January 20, 2024, and the final draft is to be submitted by February 10, 2024.

“The material prepared by this CAG will be placed before all other CAGs to ensure vertical and horizontal linkage,” said a senior NCERT official aware of the matter.

The other members in the CAG for economics are Bibek Debroy, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, some faculty members from Shri Ram College of Commerce including Nabajyoti Deka, Aasheerwad Dwivedi and Anju Verma, some faculty members from Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram including Sandeep Kamra, Sandeepa Madan, and Vikas Pahwa, and six other educationists.

Meanwhile, the curriculum area group for art has been tasked to prepare a guideline document for other CAGs that lays out some of the facts and principles that could be integrated into each subject at any stage. “This CAG will also review textbooks, and the teaching-learning material prepared by other CAGs to ensure adequate integration of art education,” said the official quoted above.

Also Read: Panel set up for Indian Knowledge System’s integration in books

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for school education released by NCERT in August this year emphasizes on teaching “Art Education” in schools to help every student develop creative thought and expression. Under the new NCF, schools will now offer different forms of arts such as crafts, music, dance, theater, puppetry, textile art, among others, as subjects

Based on the NCF for school education, the NSTC is now working on finalising the textbook content. The NCERT is revising the school curriculum in line with the national education policy (NEP) 2020. The new NCERT textbooks are likely to be ready by next academic session.

The CAG for art education also has lyricist and poet Prasoon Joshi, eminent tabla player Fazal Quraishi, Sangeet Natak Academy chairperson Sandhya Purecha, and Lalit Kala Academy chairperson V Nagdas, among others, as its members.

“The CAG for art education will submit its guidelines document by November 21 with the NSTC and NCERT,” the official added.

Sudha Acharya, principal of ITL Public School, Dwarka, and an economics teacher, said, “It is good to involve experts such as Sanjeev Sanyal and Bibek Debroy in the curriculum development process. However, I feel more actual practitioners, including school heads and teachers, should be involved.”